lasenvslikenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,289
“lasen” frequency rank
#39,513
“liken” frequency rank
67802
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lasen liken
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lesen etwas nach seinem Geschmack finden, Wohlgefallen an etwas finden; jemanden leiden mögen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lasen and liken apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lasen
5 ch
liken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lasen ([ˈlaːzn̩]) and liken ([ˈlaɪ̯kn̩]) 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 67802, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lasen is recorded at frequency rank #28,289, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaːzn̩]. liken is at rank #39,513, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯kn̩].

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 67802, this pair ranks #528,280 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lasen vs liken

Shared letters: eln. Private to "lasen": as. Private to "liken": ik.

"lasen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "liken" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lasenalsen · laesn · lasenn · lasne · llasen · lsaen
  • likenilken · liekn · likenn · likken · lkien · lliken

Frequency comparison

lasen#28,289
liken#39,513

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lasen" and "liken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaːzn̩] versus [ˈlaɪ̯kn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lasen" or "liken"?
"lasen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,289 in our German list, against #39,513 for "liken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lasen vs liken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lasen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list