# leer vs lye

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### leer
*verb · IPA /lɪə/ · frequency rank #47,726*
To look sideways or obliquely; now especially with sexual desire or malicious intent.

### lye
*noun · IPA /laɪ/ · frequency rank #40,787*
An alkaline liquid made by leaching ashes (usually wood ashes).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leer-vs-lye