Which to use
“lance” is a noun and “langen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,214
- “lance” frequency rank
- #1,204
- “langen” frequency rank
- 26418
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lance | langen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Waffe aus einem langen Stiel und einer Spitze aus Eisen | sich einem Gegenstand entgegen strecken, um ihn zu ergreifen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lance and langen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lance is [lɑ̃s] while langen is [ˈlaŋən]. 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 26418, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lance is recorded at frequency rank #25,214, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɑ̃s]. langen is at rank #1,204, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaŋən].
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 26418, this pair ranks #1,818,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lance vs langen
Shared letters: aeln. Private to "lance": c. Private to "langen": g.
"lance" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "langen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lance" and "langen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lance" or "langen"?
Remembering lance vs langen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lance”; for a verb, it's “langen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lance” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable