LieblingvsLieblingsConfusable pair

Which to use

“Liebling” and “Lieblings” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,764
“Liebling” frequency rank
#11,695
“Lieblings” frequency rank
21459
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Liebling Lieblings
Definition Kosename und Anrede für einen geliebten Menschen, aber auch für ein bestimmtes, besonders geliebtes Tier Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Liebling

Where the eye mixes Liebling and Lieblings

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Liebling runs 8 letters (CVVCCVCC) against Lieblings's 9 (CVVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Liebling
9 ch
Lieblings

Visual trap between Liebling and Lieblings

A purely visual mix-up. Liebling ([ˈliːplɪŋ]) and Lieblings ([ˈliːplɪŋs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Liebling” sits inside “Lieblings”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21459, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Liebling is recorded at frequency rank #9,764, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈliːplɪŋ]. Lieblings is at rank #11,695, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈliːplɪŋs].

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 21459, this pair ranks #1,886,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Liebling vs Lieblings

Shared letters: begiln. Private to "Liebling": -. Private to "Lieblings": s.

"Liebling" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC  ·  "Lieblings" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Liebling ← ilebling · leibling · libeling · liebbling · liebilng · lieblign · lieblingg · lieblinng
  • Lieblings ← ileblings · leiblings · libelings · liebblings · liebilngs · liebligns · lieblinggs · lieblingss

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Liebling" and "Lieblings" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈliːplɪŋ] versus [ˈliːplɪŋs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Liebling" or "Lieblings"?
"Liebling" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,764 in our German list, against #11,695 for "Lieblings". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Liebling" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Lieblings" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,886,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Liebling" and "Lieblings" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lieblich vs Liebling". 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 #1,886,014 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list