LenzvslinConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#11,920
“Lenz” frequency rank
#15,148
“lin” frequency rank
27068
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lenz lin
Definition die erste Jahreszeit, Frühling Lein, Leinpflanze, Flachs

Where the eye mixes Lenz and lin

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Lenz
3 ch
lin

Look-alike desk: Lenz vs lin

A purely visual mix-up. Lenz ([lɛnt͡s]) and lin ([lɛ̃]) 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 27068, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lenz is recorded at frequency rank #11,920, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɛnt͡s]. lin is at rank #15,148, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɛ̃].

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 27068, this pair ranks #1,807,871 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Lenz vs lin

Shared letters: ln. Private to "Lenz": ez. Private to "lin": i.

"Lenz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lin" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lenzelnz · lennz · lenzz · lezn · llenz · lnez

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lenz" and "lin" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lɛnt͡s] versus [lɛ̃]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Lenz" vs "lin" - which ranks higher?
"Lenz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,920 in our German list, against #15,148 for "lin". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Lenz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,807,871 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Lenz" and "lin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lai vs lin". 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 #1,807,871 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