Which to use
“lenk” and “lenken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,396
- “lenk” frequency rank
- #8,098
- “lenken” frequency rank
- 35494
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lenk | lenken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lenken | an einen bestimmten Ort, an ein Ziel führen |
Where the eye mixes lenk and lenken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. lenk runs 4 letters (CVCC) against lenken's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: lenk vs lenken
A purely visual mix-up. lenk ([lɛŋk]) and lenken ([ˈlɛŋkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “lenk” sits inside “lenken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35494, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lenk is recorded at frequency rank #27,396, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛŋk]. lenken is at rank #8,098, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛŋkn̩].
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 35494, this pair ranks #1,638,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lenk vs lenken
Shared letters: ekln. Private to "lenk": -. Private to "lenken": -.
"lenk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lenken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lenk" and "lenken" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "lenk" or "lenken" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lenk" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lenken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,638,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lenk" and "lenken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lenk". 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 #1,638,683 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.