likenvsLizenzWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#39,513
“liken” frequency rank
#6,218
“Lizenz” frequency rank
45731
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature liken Lizenz
Definition etwas nach seinem Geschmack finden, Wohlgefallen an etwas finden; jemanden leiden mögen offizielle schriftliche Erlaubnis für etwas, das ohne diese verboten wäre

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set liken and Lizenz apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
liken
6 ch
Lizenz

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: liken is [ˈlaɪ̯kn̩] while Lizenz is [liˈt͡sɛnt͡s]. 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 45731, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

liken is recorded at frequency rank #39,513, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯kn̩]. Lizenz is at rank #6,218, tagged as anoun, pronounced [liˈt͡sɛnt͡s].

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 45731, this pair ranks #1,343,101 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of liken vs Lizenz

Shared letters: eiln. Private to "liken": k. Private to "Lizenz": z.

"liken" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Lizenz" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • likenilken · liekn · likenn · likken · lkien · lliken
  • Lizenzilzenz · lieznz · lizennz · lizenzz · lizezn · liznez · lizzenz · llizenz

Frequency comparison

liken#39,513
Lizenz#6,218

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "liken" and "Lizenz" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "liken" is a verb and "Lizenz" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "liken" or "Lizenz"?
"Lizenz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,218 in our German list, against #39,513 for "liken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering liken vs Lizenz

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “liken”; for a noun, it's “Lizenz”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “liken” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list