leugnenvsLügnerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: leugnen is a verb, Lügner is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“leugnen” is a verb and “Lügner” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,586
“leugnen” frequency rank
#12,755
“Lügner” frequency rank
22341
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leugnen Lügner
Definition etwas abstreiten, das über einen geäußert wurde jemand, der lügt, der die Unwahrheit spricht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leugnen and Lügner apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
leugnen
6 ch
Lügner

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leugnen is [ˈlɔɪ̯ɡnən] while Lügner is [ˈlyːɡnɐ]. 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 22341, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leugnen is recorded at frequency rank #9,586, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯ɡnən]. Lügner is at rank #12,755, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlyːɡnɐ].

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 22341, this pair ranks #1,875,344 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of leugnen vs Lügner

Shared letters: egln. Private to "leugnen": u. Private to "Lügner": .

"leugnen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "Lügner" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leugnenelugnen · legunen · leugenn · leuggnen · leugnenn · leugnne · leugnnen · leungen

Frequency comparison

leugnen#9,586
Lügner#12,755

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leugnen" and "Lügner" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "leugnen" is a verb and "Lügner" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "leugnen" or "Lügner"?
"leugnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,586 in our German list, against #12,755 for "Lügner". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering leugnen vs Lügner

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “leugnen”; for a noun, it's “Lügner”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “leugnen” 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