lenkvslungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lenk is a verb, lung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lenk” is a verb and “lung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,396
“lenk” frequency rank
#36,488
“lung” frequency rank
63884
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lenk lung
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lenken die Lunge

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lenk and lung apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lenk
4 ch
lung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: lenk is averb and lunganoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63884, 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]. lung is at rank #36,488, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 63884, this pair ranks #660,952 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lenk vs lung

Shared letters: ln. Private to "lenk": ek. Private to "lung": gu.

"lenk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lung" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lenkelnk · lekn · lenkk · lennk · llenk · lnek
  • lungllung · lnug · lugn · lungg · lunng · ulng

Frequency comparison

lenk#27,396
lung#36,488

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lenk" and "lung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lenk" is a verb and "lung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lenk" or "lung"?
"lenk" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,396 in our German list, against #36,488 for "lung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lenk vs lung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lenk”; for a noun, it's “lung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lenk” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list