Which to use
“Länder” is a noun and “langen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,116
- “Länder” frequency rank
- #1,204
- “langen” frequency rank
- 2320
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Länder | langen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Land | sich einem Gegenstand entgegen strecken, um ihn zu ergreifen |
Where the eye mixes Länder and langen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Länder with langen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Länder is [ˈlɛndɐ] while langen is [ˈlaŋən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 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 2320, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Länder is recorded at frequency rank #1,116, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛndɐ]. 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 2320, this pair ranks #2,002,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Länder vs langen
Shared letters: eln. Private to "Länder": drä. Private to "langen": ag.
"Länder" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "langen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- langen ← alngen · lagnen · lanegn · langenn · langgen · langne · lanngen · llangen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Länder" and "langen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Länder" or "langen" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Länder" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "langen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,002,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Länder" and "langen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "langen vs lenzen". 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 #2,002,620 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.