linkenvslockenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“linken” and “locken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,115
“linken” frequency rank
#6,692
“locken” frequency rank
7807
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature linken locken
Definition jemanden hereinlegen, täuschen Locken ins Haar machen

Where the eye mixes linken and locken

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
linken
6 ch
locken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. linken ([ˈlɪŋkn̩]) and locken ([ˈlɔkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7807, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

linken is recorded at frequency rank #1,115, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɪŋkn̩]. locken is at rank #6,692, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔkn̩].

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 7807, this pair ranks #1,986,831 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of linken vs locken

Shared letters: ekln. Private to "linken": i. Private to "locken": co.

"linken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "locken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • linkenilnken · liknen · linekn · linkenn · linkken · linkne · linnken · llinken
  • lockenlcoken · llocken · loccken · locekn · lockenn · lockken · lockne · lokcen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "linken" and "locken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɪŋkn̩] versus [ˈlɔkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "linken" or "locken"?
"linken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,115 in our German list, against #6,692 for "locken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

You've compared "linken" and "locken". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "linken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "locken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,986,831 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "linken" and "locken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "locken vs Lotsen". 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

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list