LakenvslockenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#35,291
“Laken” frequency rank
#6,692
“locken” frequency rank
41983
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Laken locken
Definition großes Tuch, mit dem eine Matratze abgedeckt wird Locken ins Haar machen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Laken and locken apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Laken
6 ch
locken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Laken is [ˈlaːkn̩] while locken is [ˈlɔkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41983, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Laken is recorded at frequency rank #35,291, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaːkn̩]. locken is at rank #6,692, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔkn̩].

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 41983, this pair ranks #1,463,151 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Laken vs locken

Shared letters: ekln. Private to "Laken": a. Private to "locken": co.

"Laken" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "locken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lakenalken · laekn · lakenn · lakken · lakne · lkaen · llaken
  • lockenlcoken · llocken · loccken · locekn · lockenn · lockken · lockne · lokcen

Frequency comparison

Laken#35,291
locken#6,692

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Laken" and "locken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Laken" is a noun and "locken" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Laken" or "locken"?
"locken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,692 in our German list, against #35,291 for "Laken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Laken vs locken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Laken”; for a verb, it's “locken”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Laken” 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