Which to use
“lecken” and “lenzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,906
- “lecken” frequency rank
- #49,051
- “lenzen” frequency rank
- 57957
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lecken | lenzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit der Zunge an einer Oberfläche herumfahren | Wasser aus einem Boots- oder Schiffskörper entfernen |
Where the eye mixes lecken and lenzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lecken vs lenzen
A purely visual mix-up. lecken ([ˈlɛkn̩]) and lenzen ([ˈlɛnt͡sn̩]) 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 57957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lecken is recorded at frequency rank #8,906, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛkn̩]. lenzen is at rank #49,051, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛnt͡sn̩].
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 57957, this pair ranks #881,214 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lecken vs lenzen
Shared letters: eln. Private to "lecken": ck. Private to "lenzen": z.
"lecken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lenzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lecken" for "lenzen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lecken" vs "lenzen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lecken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lenzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #881,214 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lecken" and "lenzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lenzen vs letten". 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 #881,214 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.