lockernvsLückenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lockern is a verb, Lücken is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lockern” is a verb and “Lücken” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#23,223
“lockern” frequency rank
#8,908
“Lücken” frequency rank
32131
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lockern Lücken
Definition locker machen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Lücke

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lockern and Lücken apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
lockern
6 ch
Lücken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lockern is [ˈlɔkɐn] while Lücken is [ˈlʏkn̩]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32131, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lockern is recorded at frequency rank #23,223, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔkɐn]. Lücken is at rank #8,908, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlʏkn̩].

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 32131, this pair ranks #1,714,055 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lockern vs Lücken

Shared letters: cekln. Private to "lockern": or. Private to "Lücken": ü.

"lockern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Lücken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lockernlcokern · llockern · locckern · locekrn · lockenr · lockernn · lockerrn · lockkern

Frequency comparison

lockern#23,223
Lücken#8,908

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lockern" and "Lücken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lockern" is a verb and "Lücken" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lockern" or "Lücken"?
"Lücken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,908 in our German list, against #23,223 for "lockern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lockern vs Lücken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lockern”; for a noun, it's “Lücken”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lockern” 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