Which to use
“lenzen” and “lernten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,051
- “lenzen” frequency rank
- #13,649
- “lernten” frequency rank
- 62700
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lenzen | lernten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Wasser aus einem Boots- oder Schiffskörper entfernen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lernen |
Where the eye mixes lenzen and lernten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. lenzen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against lernten's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between lenzen and lernten
A purely visual mix-up. lenzen ([ˈlɛnt͡sn̩]) and lernten ([ˈlɛʁntn̩]) 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 62700, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lenzen is recorded at frequency rank #49,051, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛnt͡sn̩]. lernten is at rank #13,649, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛʁntn̩].
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 62700, this pair ranks #703,279 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lenzen vs lernten
Shared letters: eln. Private to "lenzen": z. Private to "lernten": rt.
"lenzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lernten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lenzen" and "lernten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lenzen" or "lernten"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lenzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lernten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #703,279 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lenzen" and "lernten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lenzen vs letten". 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 #703,279 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.