Which to use
“lin” and “lions” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,148
- “lin” frequency rank
- #14,352
- “lions” frequency rank
- 29500
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lin | lions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lein, Leinpflanze, Flachs | Plural des Substantivs lion |
Where the eye mixes lin and lions
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lin with lions
A purely visual mix-up. lin ([lɛ̃]) and lions ([ˈlaɪənz]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29500, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lin is recorded at frequency rank #15,148, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɛ̃]. lions is at rank #14,352, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɪənz].
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 29500, this pair ranks #1,765,651 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lin vs lions
Shared letters: iln. Private to "lin": -. Private to "lions": os.
"lin" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lions" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lions ← ilons · linos · lionns · lionss · liosn · llions · loins
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lin" for "lions" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "lin" or "lions" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lin" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lions" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,765,651 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lin" and "lions" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lai vs lin". 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 #1,765,651 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.