Leben
[ˈleːbn̩]
The verdict
“Leben” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #132 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #132
- frequency rank, German
- 5
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - der Inbegriff alles Organischen, basierend auf Stoffwechsel, Vermehrung und Wachstum
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Leben |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈleːbn̩] |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #132 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Leben” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Leben is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈleːbn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #132 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Leben, with forms such as "lbeen", "lebben", and "lebenn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lee", "lebt", "leer", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Leben, spelled L-E-B-E-N.
Definition
- 1der Inbegriff alles Organischen, basierend auf Stoffwechsel, Vermehrung und Wachstum
- 2persönliche Laufbahn, beginnend mit der Geburt und endend mit dem Tod, kurz für Lebensweg
- 3Lebensumstände
- 4verbleibender Versuch, der nach einem virtuellen Tod noch zur Verfügung steht
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: lbeen,lebben,lebenn,lebne,leebn,lleben
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Leben - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "Leben"?
What does "Leben" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Leben"?
How do you pronounce "Leben"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Leben”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is L-E-B-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈleːbn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Lee” - see the side-by-side comparison. Leben vs Lee
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.