Which to use
“lenken” and “linken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,098
- “lenken” frequency rank
- #1,115
- “linken” frequency rank
- 9213
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lenken | linken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an einen bestimmten Ort, an ein Ziel führen | jemanden hereinlegen, täuschen |
Where the eye mixes lenken and linken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lenken and linken
A purely visual mix-up. lenken ([ˈlɛŋkn̩]) and linken ([ˈlɪŋkn̩]) 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 a single letter - e in “lenken” becomes i in “linken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9213, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lenken is recorded at frequency rank #8,098, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛŋkn̩]. linken is at rank #1,115, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɪŋkn̩].
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 9213, this pair ranks #1,980,955 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lenken vs linken
Shared letters: ekln. Private to "lenken": -. Private to "linken": i.
"lenken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "linken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lenken" for "linken" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lenken" or "linken"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lenken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "linken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,980,955 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lenken" and "linken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lenken vs lenzen". 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 #1,980,955 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.