Which to use
“line” is a noun and “links” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,511
- “line” frequency rank
- #686
- “links” frequency rank
- 6197
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | line | links |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schnur, Faden: lange, relativ dünne Textilie | seitlich auf jener Seite, wo die meisten Menschen ihr Herz haben und schlagen spüren können |
Where the eye mixes line and links
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses line with links
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: line is [laɪn] while links is [lɪŋks]. 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 (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6197, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
line is recorded at frequency rank #5,511, classified as anoun, pronounced [laɪn]. links is at rank #686, tagged as anadv, pronounced [lɪŋks].
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 6197, this pair ranks #1,992,406 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of line vs links
Shared letters: iln. Private to "line": e. Private to "links": ks.
"line" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "links" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "line" for "links" ever safe?
Frequency check: "line" vs "links" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "line" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "links" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,992,406 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "line" and "links" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs line". 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 #1,992,406 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.