Which to use
“lesen” is a verb and “Lesung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #506
- “lesen” frequency rank
- #8,747
- “Lesung” frequency rank
- 9253
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lesen | Lesung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schriftzeichen, Worte und Texte (mithilfe der Augen) wahrnehmen sowie (im Gehirn) verarbeiten und verstehen, sowie dies gegebenenfalls laut vorlesen | öffentlicher Vortrag eines Textes im Rahmen einer Veranstaltung, eines Gottesdienstes |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lesen and Lesung apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lesen is [ˈleːzn̩] while Lesung is [ˈleːzʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lesen is recorded at frequency rank #506, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːzn̩]. Lesung is at rank #8,747, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːzʊŋ].
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 9253, this pair ranks #1,980,778 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lesen vs Lesung
Shared letters: elns. Private to "lesen": -. Private to "Lesung": gu.
"lesen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Lesung" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lesen" and "Lesung" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lesen" or "Lesung"?
Remembering lesen vs Lesung
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lesen”; for a noun, it's “Lesung”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lesen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable