Which to use
“lehn” and “lenk” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,238
- “lehn” frequency rank
- #27,396
- “lenk” frequency rank
- 61634
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lehn | lenk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lehnen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lenken |
Where the eye mixes lehn and lenk
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. lehn and lenk follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses lehn with lenk
A purely visual mix-up. lehn ([leːn]) and lenk ([lɛŋk]) 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 61634, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lehn is recorded at frequency rank #34,238, classified as averb, pronounced [leːn]. lenk is at rank #27,396, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɛŋk].
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 61634, this pair ranks #742,378 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lehn vs lenk
Shared letters: eln. Private to "lehn": h. Private to "lenk": k.
"lehn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lenk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lehn" and "lenk" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lehn" or "lenk"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lehn" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lenk" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #742,378 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lehn" and "lenk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lehn". 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 #742,378 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.