Which to use
“lest” and “lobt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,316
- “lest” frequency rank
- #13,428
- “lobt” frequency rank
- 31744
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lest | lobt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs loben |
Where the eye mixes lest and lobt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lest vs lobt
A purely visual mix-up. lest ([leːst]) and lobt ([loːpt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31744, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lest is recorded at frequency rank #18,316, classified as averb, pronounced [leːst]. lobt is at rank #13,428, tagged as averb, pronounced [loːpt].
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 31744, this pair ranks #1,721,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lest vs lobt
Shared letters: lt. Private to "lest": es. Private to "lobt": bo.
"lest" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lobt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lest" and "lobt" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lest" vs "lobt" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lest" and "lobt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lest" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lobt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,721,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lest" and "lobt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lest". 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 #1,721,979 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.