LenkervsLinkeWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#16,479
“Lenker” frequency rank
#1,185
“Linke” frequency rank
17664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lenker Linke
Definition Einrichtung zum Steuern eines Fahrzeuges die links gelegene Hand

Where the eye mixes Lenker and Linke

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Lenker
5 ch
Linke

Look-alike desk: Lenker vs Linke

A purely visual mix-up. Lenker ([ˈlɛŋkɐ]) and Linke ([ˈlɪŋkə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lenker is recorded at frequency rank #16,479, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛŋkɐ]. Linke is at rank #1,185, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪŋkə].

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 17664, this pair ranks #1,925,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Lenker vs Linke

Shared letters: ekln. Private to "Lenker": r. Private to "Linke": i.

"Lenker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Linke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lenkerelnker · lekner · lenekr · lenkerr · lenkker · lenkre · lennker · llenker
  • Linkeilnke · likne · linek · linkke · linnke · llinke · lnike

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lenker" and "Linke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɛŋkɐ] versus [ˈlɪŋkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Lenker" vs "Linke" - which ranks higher?
"Linke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,185 in our German list, against #16,479 for "Lenker". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Lenker" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Linke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,925,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Lenker" and "Linke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lenker 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 #1,925,382 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list