Which to use
“lesen” and “letzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #506
- “lesen” frequency rank
- #20,655
- “letzen” frequency rank
- 21161
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lesen | letzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schriftzeichen, Worte und Texte (mithilfe der Augen) wahrnehmen sowie (im Gehirn) verarbeiten und verstehen, sowie dies gegebenenfalls laut vorlesen | sich erquicken |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lesen and letzen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lesen and letzen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21161, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lesen is recorded at frequency rank #506, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːzn̩]. letzen is at rank #20,655, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛt͡sn̩].
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 21161, this pair ranks #1,889,465 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lesen" and "letzen" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lesen vs letzen
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 “lesen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable