Which to use
“leih” and “lenk” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,670
- “leih” frequency rank
- #27,396
- “lenk” frequency rank
- 68066
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leih | lenk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leihen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lenken |
Where the eye mixes leih and lenk
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. leih (CVVC) and lenk (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: leih vs lenk
A purely visual mix-up. leih ([laɪ̯]) 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 68066, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leih is recorded at frequency rank #40,670, classified as averb, pronounced [laɪ̯]. 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 68066, this pair ranks #519,791 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of leih vs lenk
Shared letters: el. Private to "leih": hi. Private to "lenk": kn.
"leih" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "lenk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "leih" and "lenk" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "leih" or "lenk"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "leih" and "lenk" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "leih" 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 #519,791 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leih" and "lenk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs leih". 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 #519,791 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.