Which to use
“Lechner” is a name and “lehnen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,699
- “Lechner” frequency rank
- #9,403
- “lehnen” frequency rank
- 43102
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lechner | lehnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | deutscher Nachname, Familienname | den Körper schräg stellen |
Where the eye mixes Lechner and lehnen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Lechner runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against lehnen's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Lechner with lehnen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Lechner is [ˈlɛçnɐ] while lehnen is [ˈleːnən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lechner is recorded at frequency rank #33,699, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈlɛçnɐ]. lehnen is at rank #9,403, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈleːnən].
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 43102, this pair ranks #1,428,574 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Lechner vs lehnen
Shared letters: ehln. Private to "Lechner": cr. Private to "lehnen": -.
"Lechner" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "lehnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Lechner" for "lehnen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Lechner" vs "lehnen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lechner" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lehnen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,428,574 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lechner" and "lehnen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lechner vs Leugner". 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 #1,428,574 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.