LeuvslinConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#42,653
“Leu” frequency rank
#15,148
“lin” frequency rank
57801
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Leu lin
Definition Löwe Lein, Leinpflanze, Flachs

Where the eye mixes Leu and lin

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
Leu
3 ch
lin

Visual trap between Leu and lin

A purely visual mix-up. Leu ([lɔɪ̯]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57801, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Leu is recorded at frequency rank #42,653, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɔɪ̯]. 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 57801, this pair ranks #887,258 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Leu vs lin

Shared letters: l. Private to "Leu": eu. Private to "lin": in.

"Leu" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "lin" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Leu" and "lin" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lɔɪ̯] versus [lɛ̃]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Leu" or "lin"?
"lin" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,148 in our German list, against #42,653 for "Leu". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Leu" 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 #887,258 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Leu" and "lin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs Leu". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #887,258 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