Which to use
“lance” is a noun and “lynch” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,214
- “lance” frequency rank
- #26,509
- “lynch” frequency rank
- 51723
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lance | lynch |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Waffe aus einem langen Stiel und einer Spitze aus Eisen | lynchen |
Where the eye mixes lance and lynch
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lance and lynch
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lance is [lɑ̃s] while lynch is [lɪnʃ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51723, 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]. lynch is at rank #26,509, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɪnʃ].
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 51723, this pair ranks #1,124,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lance vs lynch
Shared letters: cln. Private to "lance": ae. Private to "lynch": hy.
"lance" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lynch" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lance" and "lynch" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lance" or "lynch"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lance" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lynch" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,124,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lance" and "lynch" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs lance". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,124,537 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.