Which to use
“lieh” is a verb and “lin” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,953
- “lieh” frequency rank
- #15,148
- “lin” frequency rank
- 42101
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lieh | lin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leihen | Lein, Leinpflanze, Flachs |
Where the eye mixes lieh and lin
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lieh vs lin
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lieh is [liː] while lin is [lɛ̃]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lieh is recorded at frequency rank #26,953, classified as averb, pronounced [liː]. 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 42101, this pair ranks #1,459,536 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lieh vs lin
Shared letters: il. Private to "lieh": eh. Private to "lin": n.
"lieh" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "lin" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lieh ← ileh · liehh · lihe · llieh
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lieh" and "lin" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "lieh" or "lin" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lieh" 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 #1,459,536 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lieh" and "lin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lieh". 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 #1,459,536 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.