Which to use
“liegen” and “linken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #548
- “liegen” frequency rank
- #1,115
- “linken” frequency rank
- 1663
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | liegen | linken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine mehr oder weniger horizontal ausgerichtete Lage einnehmen | jemanden hereinlegen, täuschen |
Where the eye mixes liegen and linken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: liegen vs linken
A purely visual mix-up. liegen ([ˈliːɡn̩]) 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 1663, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
liegen is recorded at frequency rank #548, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈliːɡn̩]. 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 1663, this pair ranks #2,003,943 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of liegen vs linken
Shared letters: eiln. Private to "liegen": g. Private to "linken": k.
"liegen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "linken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "liegen" and "linken" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "liegen" vs "linken" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "liegen" 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 #2,003,943 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "liegen" 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 #2,003,943 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.