LechnervslehnenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Lechner is a name, lehnen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

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 spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Lechner
6 ch
lehnen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • Lechnerelchner · lcehner · lecchner · lechenr · lechhner · lechnerr · lechnner · lechnre
  • lehnenelhnen · lehenn · lehhnen · lehnenn · lehnne · lehnnen · lenhen · lhenen

Frequency comparison

Lechner#33,699
lehnen#9,403

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lechner" and "lehnen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Lechner" is a name and "lehnen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Lechner" or "lehnen"?
"lehnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,403 in our German list, against #33,699 for "Lechner". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Lechner vs lehnen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Lechner”; for a verb, it's “lehnen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Lechner” 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