likevsLinzConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#4,288
“like” frequency rank
#4,534
“Linz” frequency rank
8822
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature like Linz
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs liken Landeshauptstadt des österreichischen Bundeslandes Oberösterreich

Where the eye mixes like and Linz

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
like
4 ch
Linz

Visual trap between like and Linz

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: like is [ˈlaɪ̯kə] while Linz is [lɪnt͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8822, 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]. Linz is at rank #4,534, tagged as aname, pronounced [lɪnt͡s].

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 8822, this pair ranks #1,982,666 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of like vs Linz

Shared letters: il. Private to "like": ek. Private to "Linz": nz.

"like" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Linz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • likeilke · liek · likke · lkie · llike
  • Linzilnz · linnz · linzz · lizn · llinz · lniz

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "like" and "Linz" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "like" is a verb and "Linz" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "like" or "Linz"?
"like" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,288 in our German list, against #4,534 for "Linz". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "like" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Linz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,982,666 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "like" and "Linz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs like". 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 #1,982,666 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list