likevsLinseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: like is a verb, Linse is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“like” is a verb and “Linse” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,288
“like” frequency rank
#18,972
“Linse” frequency rank
23260
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature like Linse
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs liken Vertreter der Gattung Lens aus der Familie der Schmetterlingsblütler, insbesondere Lens culinaris

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set like and Linse apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
like
5 ch
Linse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: like is [ˈlaɪ̯kə] while Linse is [ˈlɪnzə]. 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 23260, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

like is recorded at frequency rank #4,288, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯kə]. Linse is at rank #18,972, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪnzə].

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 23260, this pair ranks #1,863,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of like vs Linse

Shared letters: eil. Private to "like": k. Private to "Linse": ns.

"like" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Linse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • likeilke · liek · likke · lkie · llike
  • Linseilnse · linnse · linsse · lisne · llinse · lnise

Frequency comparison

like#4,288
Linse#18,972

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "like" and "Linse" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "like" is a verb and "Linse" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "like" or "Linse"?
"like" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,288 in our German list, against #18,972 for "Linse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering like vs Linse

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “like”; for a noun, it's “Linse”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “like” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list