Which to use
“Linie” and “Linien” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #996
- “Linie” frequency rank
- #3,467
- “Linien” frequency rank
- 4463
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Linie | Linien |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (gedachte) gerade oder gekrümmte Verbindung zwischen zwei Punkten | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Linie |
Where the eye mixes Linie and Linien
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Linie vs Linien
A purely visual mix-up. Linie ([ˈliːni̯ə]) and Linien ([ˈliːni̯ən]) 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) - “Linie” sits inside “Linien”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4463, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Linie is recorded at frequency rank #996, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈliːni̯ə]. Linien is at rank #3,467, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈliːni̯ən].
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 4463, this pair ranks #1,997,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Linie vs Linien
Shared letters: eiln. Private to "Linie": -. Private to "Linien": -.
"Linie" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "Linien" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Linie" and "Linien" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Linie" or "Linien"?
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 "Linie" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Linien" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,997,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Linie" and "Linien" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lenzen vs Linien". 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 #1,997,659 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.