Which to use
“linear” is an adjective and “lines” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,481
- “linear” frequency rank
- #21,343
- “lines” frequency rank
- 37824
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | linear | lines |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Form einer geraden Linie verlaufend | Plural des Substantivs line |
Where the eye mixes linear and lines
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: linear vs lines
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: linear is [lineˈaːɐ̯] while lines is [laɪnz]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37824, 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]. lines is at rank #21,343, tagged as anoun, pronounced [laɪnz].
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 37824, this pair ranks #1,580,133 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of linear vs lines
Shared letters: eiln. Private to "linear": ar. Private to "lines": s.
"linear" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "lines" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "linear" and "lines" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "linear" or "lines" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "linear" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lines" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,580,133 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "linear" and "lines" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lines 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 #1,580,133 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.