LimesvsLosesWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#36,483
“Limes” frequency rank
#49,058
“Loses” frequency rank
85541
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Limes Loses
Definition Grenzwall des Römischen Reichs Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Los

Where the eye mixes Limes and Loses

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Limes
5 ch
Loses

Why the eye confuses Limes with Loses

A purely visual mix-up. Limes ([ˈliːmɛs]) and Loses ([ˈloːzəs]) 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 85541, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Limes is recorded at frequency rank #36,483, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈliːmɛs]. Loses is at rank #49,058, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈloːzəs].

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 85541, this pair ranks #106,733 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Limes vs Loses

Shared letters: els. Private to "Limes": im. Private to "Loses": o.

"Limes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Loses" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Limesilmes · liems · limess · limmes · limse · llimes · lmies
  • Loseslloses · loess · losess · losses · lsoes · olses

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Limes" and "Loses" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈliːmɛs] versus [ˈloːzəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Limes" vs "Loses" - which ranks higher?
"Limes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,483 in our German list, against #49,058 for "Loses". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Limes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Loses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #106,733 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Limes" and "Loses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs Loses". 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 #106,733 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