LeinevsLindeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Leine” and “Linde” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,763
“Leine” frequency rank
#13,426
“Linde” frequency rank
23189
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Leine Linde
Definition längere feste Schnur, an der etwas festgemacht wird oder mit der etwas festgemacht wird; dünnes Seil Laubbaum der Gattung Tilia

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Leine and Linde apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Leine
5 ch
Linde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Leine ([ˈlaɪ̯nə]) and Linde ([ˈlɪndə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23189, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Leine is recorded at frequency rank #9,763, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯nə]. Linde is at rank #13,426, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪndə].

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 23189, this pair ranks #1,864,600 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Leine vs Linde

Shared letters: eiln. Private to "Leine": -. Private to "Linde": d.

"Leine" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "Linde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Leineeline · leien · leinne · lenie · liene · lleine
  • Lindeilnde · lidne · lindde · lined · linnde · llinde · lnide

Frequency comparison

Leine#9,763
Linde#13,426

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Leine" and "Linde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaɪ̯nə] versus [ˈlɪndə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Leine" or "Linde"?
"Leine" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,763 in our German list, against #13,426 for "Linde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Leine vs Linde

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Leine” 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