Which to use
“liefe” is a verb and “lilie” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,812
- “liefe” frequency rank
- #38,879
- “lilie” frequency rank
- 85691
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | liefe | lilie |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs laufen | hohe Pflanze mit stark duftenden, glockenförmigen Blüten; Lilie |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set liefe and lilie apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: liefe is [ˈliːfə] while lilie is [ˈlɪlɪjɛ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85691, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
liefe is recorded at frequency rank #46,812, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈliːfə]. lilie is at rank #38,879, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪlɪjɛ].
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 85691, this pair ranks #104,490 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of liefe vs lilie
Shared letters: eil. Private to "liefe": f. Private to "lilie": -.
"liefe" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "lilie" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "liefe" and "lilie" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "liefe" or "lilie"?
Remembering liefe vs lilie
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “liefe”; for a noun, it's “lilie”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “liefe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable