BankervsBlinkerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,920
“Banker” frequency rank
#29,969
“Blinker” frequency rank
46889
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Banker Blinker
Definition Angehöriger der Bankenwirtschaft; Bankfachmann Teil der Lichtanlage in Kraftfahrzeugen; zeigt die Richtung an, in die man abbiegen möchte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Banker and Blinker apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Banker
7 ch
Blinker

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Banker ([ˈbɛŋkɐ]) and Blinker ([ˈblɪŋkɐ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Banker is recorded at frequency rank #16,920, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɛŋkɐ]. Blinker is at rank #29,969, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈblɪŋkɐ].

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 46889, this pair ranks #1,303,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Banker vs Blinker

Shared letters: beknr. Private to "Banker": a. Private to "Blinker": il.

"Banker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Blinker" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bankerabnker · bakner · banekr · bankerr · bankker · bankre · bannker · bbanker
  • Blinkerbblinker · bilnker · blikner · blinekr · blinkerr · blinkker · blinkre · blinnker

Frequency comparison

Banker#16,920
Blinker#29,969

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Banker" and "Blinker" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbɛŋkɐ] versus [ˈblɪŋkɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Banker" or "Blinker"?
"Banker" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,920 in our German list, against #29,969 for "Blinker". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Banker vs Blinker

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Banker” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list