blickenvsBlöckenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: blicken is a verb, Blöcken is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“blicken” is a verb and “Blöcken” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,068
“blicken” frequency rank
#27,224
“Blöcken” frequency rank
32292
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature blicken Blöcken
Definition seinen Blick auf jemanden/etwas wenden und es bewusst wahrnehmen Dativ Plural des Substantivs Block

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set blicken and Blöcken apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
blicken
7 ch
Blöcken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: blicken is [ˈblɪkn̩] while Blöcken is [ˈblœkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “blicken” becomes ö in “Blöcken”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32292, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

blicken is recorded at frequency rank #5,068, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈblɪkn̩]. Blöcken is at rank #27,224, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈblœkn̩].

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 32292, this pair ranks #1,710,747 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of blicken vs Blöcken

Shared letters: bcekln. Private to "blicken": i. Private to "Blöcken": ö.

"blicken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "Blöcken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • blickenbblicken · bilcken · blciken · bliccken · blicekn · blickenn · blickken · blickne

Frequency comparison

blicken#5,068
Blöcken#27,224

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "blicken" and "Blöcken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "blicken" is a verb and "Blöcken" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "blicken" or "Blöcken"?
"blicken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,068 in our German list, against #27,224 for "Blöcken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering blicken vs Blöcken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “blicken”; for a noun, it's “Blöcken”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “blicken” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list