Which to use
“linear” and “lineare” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,481
- “linear” frequency rank
- #18,320
- “lineare” frequency rank
- 34801
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | linear | lineare |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Form einer geraden Linie verlaufend | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs linear |
Where the eye mixes linear and lineare
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: linear vs lineare
A purely visual mix-up. linear ([lineˈaːɐ̯]) and lineare ([lineˈaːʁə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “linear” sits inside “lineare”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34801, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
linear is recorded at frequency rank #16,481, classified as anadj, pronounced [lineˈaːɐ̯]. lineare is at rank #18,320, tagged as anadj, pronounced [lineˈaːʁə].
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 34801, this pair ranks #1,654,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of linear vs lineare
Shared letters: aeilnr. Private to "linear": -. Private to "lineare": -.
"linear" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "lineare" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "linear" for "lineare" ever safe?
Which is more common, "linear" or "lineare"?
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 "linear" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lineare" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,654,946 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "linear" and "lineare" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lineal vs lineare". 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 #1,654,946 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.