Which to use
“lieben” and “linken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,163
- “lieben” frequency rank
- #1,115
- “linken” frequency rank
- 2278
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lieben | linken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine innige, gefühlsmäßige Zuneigung für jemanden oder etwas empfinden | jemanden hereinlegen, täuschen |
Where the eye mixes lieben and linken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lieben vs linken
A purely visual mix-up. lieben ([ˈliːbn̩]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lieben is recorded at frequency rank #1,163, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈliːbn̩]. 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 2278, this pair ranks #2,002,723 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lieben vs linken
Shared letters: eiln. Private to "lieben": b. Private to "linken": k.
"lieben" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "linken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lieben" and "linken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lieben" or "linken"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lieben" 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 #2,002,723 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lieben" and "linken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lenzen vs linken". 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 #2,002,723 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.