LändervslinderWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Länder is a noun, linder is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Länder” is a noun and “linder” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,116
“Länder” frequency rank
#38,880
“linder” frequency rank
39996
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Länder linder
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Land Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lind

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Länder and linder apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Länder
6 ch
linder

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Länder is [ˈlɛndɐ] while linder is [ˈlɪndɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - ä in “Länder” becomes i in “linder”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39996, 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]. linder is at rank #38,880, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɪndɐ].

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 39996, this pair ranks #1,520,976 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Länder vs linder

Shared letters: delnr. Private to "Länder": ä. Private to "linder": i.

"Länder" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "linder" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • linderilnder · lidner · lindder · linderr · lindre · linedr · llinder · lnider

Frequency comparison

Länder#1,116
linder#38,880

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Länder" and "linder" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Länder" is a noun and "linder" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Länder" or "linder"?
"Länder" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,116 in our German list, against #38,880 for "linder". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Länder vs linder

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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