blickevsblinkenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,518
“blicke” frequency rank
#28,107
“blinken” frequency rank
34625
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature blicke blinken
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs blicken rhythmisch kurze Lichtsignale aussenden

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
blicke
7 ch
blinken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. blicke ([ˈblɪkə]) and blinken ([ˈblɪŋkn̩]) 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 34625, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

blicke is recorded at frequency rank #6,518, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈblɪkə]. blinken is at rank #28,107, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈblɪŋkn̩].

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 34625, this pair ranks #1,658,979 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of blicke vs blinken

Shared letters: beikl. Private to "blicke": c. Private to "blinken": n.

"blicke" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "blinken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • blickebblicke · bilcke · blcike · bliccke · blicek · blickke · blikce · bllicke
  • blinkenbblinken · bilnken · bliknen · blinekn · blinkenn · blinkken · blinkne · blinnken

Frequency comparison

blicke#6,518
blinken#28,107

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "blicke" and "blinken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈblɪkə] versus [ˈblɪŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "blicke" or "blinken"?
"blicke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,518 in our German list, against #28,107 for "blinken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering blicke vs blinken

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 “blicke” 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