lockevsLübkeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: locke is a verb, Lübke is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“locke” is a verb and “Lübke” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,327
“locke” frequency rank
#46,823
“Lübke” frequency rank
67150
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature locke Lübke
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs locken deutscher Nachname, Familienname

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set locke and Lübke apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
locke
5 ch
Lübke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: locke is [ˈlɔkə] while Lübke is [ˈlʏpkə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

locke is recorded at frequency rank #20,327, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔkə]. Lübke is at rank #46,823, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈlʏpkə].

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 67150, this pair ranks #549,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of locke vs Lübke

Shared letters: ekl. Private to "locke": co. Private to "Lübke": .

"locke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Lübke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lockelcoke · llocke · loccke · locek · lockke · lokce · olcke

Frequency comparison

locke#20,327
Lübke#46,823

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "locke" and "Lübke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "locke" is a verb and "Lübke" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "locke" or "Lübke"?
"locke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,327 in our German list, against #46,823 for "Lübke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering locke vs Lübke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “locke”; for a name, it's “Lübke”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “locke” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list