lilievsLindeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“lilie” and “Linde” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#38,879
“lilie” frequency rank
#13,426
“Linde” frequency rank
52305
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lilie Linde
Definition hohe Pflanze mit stark duftenden, glockenförmigen Blüten; Lilie Laubbaum der Gattung Tilia

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
lilie
5 ch
Linde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lilie ([ˈlɪlɪjɛ]) and Linde ([ˈlɪndə]) 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 52305, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lilie is recorded at frequency rank #38,879, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪlɪjɛ]. Linde is at rank #13,426, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪndə].

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 52305, this pair ranks #1,101,954 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lilie vs Linde

Shared letters: eil. Private to "lilie": -. Private to "Linde": dn.

"lilie" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "Linde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lilieillie · liile · lilei · lillie · lliie · llilie
  • Lindeilnde · lidne · lindde · lined · linnde · llinde · lnide

Frequency comparison

lilie#38,879
Linde#13,426

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lilie" and "Linde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɪlɪjɛ] versus [ˈlɪndə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lilie" or "Linde"?
"Linde" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,426 in our German list, against #38,879 for "lilie". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lilie vs Linde

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lilie” 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