Which to use
“lions” and “lis” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,352
- “lions” frequency rank
- #38,263
- “lis” frequency rank
- 52615
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lions | lis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Plural des Substantivs lion | Stieleiche |
Where the eye mixes lions and lis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lions with lis
A purely visual mix-up. lions ([ˈlaɪənz]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52615, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lions is recorded at frequency rank #14,352, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɪənz]. 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 52615, this pair ranks #1,089,911 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lions vs lis
Shared letters: ils. Private to "lions": no. Private to "lis": -.
"lions" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "lis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lions ← ilons · linos · lionns · lionss · liosn · llions · loins
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lions" and "lis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lions" or "lis"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "lions" and "lis" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lions" 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 #1,089,911 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lions" 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 #1,089,911 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.