lieb

[liːp]

/[liːp]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“lieb” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #2,773) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#2,773
frequency rank, German
2,640
“L” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - liebenswürdig, nett

Corpus desk

Index DE-lieb · lieb · German

lieb · rank #2,773 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,773
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,640
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kombination

Nearest frequency peer: Kombination (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “lieb”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “lieb” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lieb vs Lob
25% similar
lieb vs LTE
0% similar
lieb vs lin
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for lieb
PropertyValue
Headwordlieb
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[liːp]
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,773
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lieb” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). lieb lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for lieb is neighbouring look-alikes ("Lob", "LTE", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced [liːp]. Frequency #2,773 among 2,640 “L” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for lieb, with forms such as "ileb", "libe", and "liebb". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lob", "LTE", "lin", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is lieb, spelled L-I-E-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    liebenswürdig, nett
  2. 2
    geschätzt, gemocht
  3. 3
    folgsam und artig

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how lieb appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. „Es lohnt sich doch, ein wenig lieb zu sein / Und alles auf das Einfachste zu schrauben.“
  2. Das ist lieb von dir.

Antonyms

gehässigböseunliebverachtetaufmüpfigrenitent

This word in other languages

nice(English)amable(Español)gentil(Français)gentil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ileb
  • libe
  • liebb
  • llieb

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lieb - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ileb2libe2liebb1llieb1
Edit distance from "lieb"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lieb"?
"lieb" is spelled L-I-E-B. The IPA pronunciation is [liːp].
What does "lieb" mean?
As an adjective, "lieb" means: liebenswürdig, nett
What words are commonly confused with "lieb"?
"lieb" is commonly confused with "Lob", "LTE", "lin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lieb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lieb" is [liːp]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lieb" come from?
"lieb" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lieb", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Jobs#2,771Graf#2,768Orte#2,779Rand#2,782

What to do next

You've looked up "lieb". Here's where to go from here.

  • "lieb" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Lob". View pair
  • 4 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,773 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "L" letter cohort. L–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list