Which to use
“liefen” and “liken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,359
- “liefen” frequency rank
- #39,513
- “liken” frequency rank
- 46872
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | liefen | liken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs laufen | etwas nach seinem Geschmack finden, Wohlgefallen an etwas finden; jemanden leiden mögen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set liefen and liken apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
liefen and liken form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
liefen is recorded at frequency rank #7,359, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈliːfn̩]. liken is at rank #39,513, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯kn̩].
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 46872, this pair ranks #1,304,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "liefen" and "liken" be used interchangeably?
Remembering liefen vs liken
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “liefen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable