Which to use
“libre” is an adjective and “lobe” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,891
- “libre” frequency rank
- #32,155
- “lobe” frequency rank
- 68046
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | libre | lobe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | frei | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs loben |
Where the eye mixes libre and lobe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses libre with lobe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: libre is [libʁ] while lobe is [ˈloːbə]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68046, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
libre is recorded at frequency rank #35,891, classified as anadj, pronounced [libʁ]. lobe is at rank #32,155, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈloːbə].
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 68046, this pair ranks #520,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of libre vs lobe
Shared letters: bel. Private to "libre": ir. Private to "lobe": o.
"libre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lobe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "libre" and "lobe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "libre" or "lobe"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "libre" and "lobe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "libre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lobe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #520,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "libre" and "lobe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "libre vs Lübke". 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 #520,428 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.