Which to use
“Lesben” is a noun and “lieben” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,241
- “Lesben” frequency rank
- #1,163
- “lieben” frequency rank
- 9404
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lesben | lieben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Lesbe | eine innige, gefühlsmäßige Zuneigung für jemanden oder etwas empfinden |
Where the eye mixes Lesben and lieben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Lesben (CVCCVC) and lieben (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Lesben with lieben
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Lesben is [ˈlɛsbn̩] while lieben is [ˈliːbn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9404, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lesben is recorded at frequency rank #8,241, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛsbn̩]. lieben is at rank #1,163, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈliːbn̩].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 9404, this pair ranks #1,980,104 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Lesben vs lieben
Shared letters: beln. Private to "Lesben": s. Private to "lieben": i.
"Lesben" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lieben" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Lesben" for "lieben" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Lesben" vs "lieben" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lesben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lieben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,980,104 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lesben" and "lieben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lenzen vs Lesben". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,980,104 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.