lesbischvslesbischeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“lesbisch” and “lesbische” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#18,969
“lesbisch” frequency rank
#16,768
“lesbische” frequency rank
35737
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lesbisch lesbische
Definition von der Insel Lesbos Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lesbisch

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lesbisch and lesbische apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
lesbisch
9 ch
lesbische

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lesbisch ([ˈlɛsbɪʃ]) and lesbische ([ˈlɛsbɪʃə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “lesbisch” sits inside “lesbische”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lesbisch is recorded at frequency rank #18,969, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛsbɪʃ]. lesbische is at rank #16,768, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛsbɪʃə].

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 35737, this pair ranks #1,632,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lesbisch vs lesbische

Shared letters: bcehils. Private to "lesbisch": -. Private to "lesbische": -.

"lesbisch" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "lesbische" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lesbischelsbisch · lebsisch · lesbbisch · lesbicsh · lesbiscch · lesbischh · lesbishc · lesbissch
  • lesbischeelsbische · lebsische · lesbbische · lesbicshe · lesbiscche · lesbisceh · lesbischhe · lesbishce

Frequency comparison

lesbisch#18,969
lesbische#16,768

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lesbisch" and "lesbische" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɛsbɪʃ] versus [ˈlɛsbɪʃə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lesbisch" or "lesbische"?
"lesbische" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,768 in our German list, against #18,969 for "lesbisch". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lesbisch vs lesbische

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lesbisch” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list