Which to use
“line” and “lis” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,511
- “line” frequency rank
- #38,263
- “lis” frequency rank
- 43774
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | line | lis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schnur, Faden: lange, relativ dünne Textilie | Stieleiche |
Where the eye mixes line and lis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses line with lis
A purely visual mix-up. line ([laɪn]) and lis ([lis]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43774, 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]. lis is at rank #38,263, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lis].
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 43774, this pair ranks #1,407,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of line vs lis
Shared letters: il. Private to "line": en. Private to "lis": s.
"line" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- line ← ilne · lien · linne · lline · lnie
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "line" for "lis" ever safe?
Which is more common, "line" or "lis"?
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 "line" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,407,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "line" and "lis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lis". 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 #1,407,414 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.