langenvslinkenConfusable pair

Which to use

“langen” and “linken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,204
“langen” frequency rank
#1,115
“linken” frequency rank
2319
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature langen linken
Definition sich einem Gegenstand entgegen strecken, um ihn zu ergreifen jemanden hereinlegen, täuschen

Where the eye mixes langen and linken

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
langen
6 ch
linken

Look-alike desk: langen vs linken

A purely visual mix-up. langen ([ˈlaŋən]) and linken ([ˈlɪŋkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2319, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

langen is recorded at frequency rank #1,204, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaŋən]. linken is at rank #1,115, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɪŋkn̩].

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 2319, this pair ranks #2,002,622 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of langen vs linken

Shared letters: eln. Private to "langen": ag. Private to "linken": ik.

"langen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "linken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • langenalngen · lagnen · lanegn · langenn · langgen · langne · lanngen · llangen
  • linkenilnken · liknen · linekn · linkenn · linkken · linkne · linnken · llinken

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "langen" and "linken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaŋən] versus [ˈlɪŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "langen" vs "linken" - which ranks higher?
"linken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,115 in our German list, against #1,204 for "langen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "langen" and "linken" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "langen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "linken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,002,622 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "langen" and "linken" 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 #2,002,622 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list