lecken

[ˈlɛkn̩]

/[ˈlɛkn̩]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“lecken” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #8,906. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,906
frequency rank, German
2,640
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - mit der Zunge an einer Oberfläche herumfahren

Corpus desk

Index DE-lecken · lecken · German

lecken · rank #8,906 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,906
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,640
  • PHOTO-FINISH Laufzeit

Nearest frequency peer: Laufzeit (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „lecken“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „lecken“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lecken vs lesen
67% similar
lecken vs legen
67% similar
lecken vs Lücke
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for lecken
PropertyValue
Headwordlecken
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈlɛkn̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,906
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „lecken“

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).leckenliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Laufzeit“ (#8,905), „Lindner“ (#8,907), „LAN“ (#8,904). Unter 2,640 „L“-Lemmata liegt „lecken“ bei #8,906. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around lecken (IPA [ˈlɛkn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #8,906 among 2,640 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for lecken, with forms such as "elcken", "lceken", and "leccken". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lesen", "legen", "Lücke", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is lecken, spelled L-E-C-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    mit der Zunge an einer Oberfläche herumfahren
  2. 2
    mit der Zunge an einer Oberfläche herumfahren
  3. 3
    mit der Zunge an einer Oberfläche herumfahren
  4. 4
    nicht dicht sein; durch ein Leck auslaufen
  5. 5
    sexuell oral stimulieren

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how lecken appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Das Kind leckt an einem Lutscher.
  2. „Bob's [sic!] Eiskugel in der Waffel schmolz schneller, als er lecken konnte.“

Synonyms

ableckenanleckenlutschenzüngelnschlabbernzuzelnabschleckenschleckenschleckernausfließenauslaufenaussickerndurchleckendurchsickernein LeckLoch habenherauslaufenherausrinnenheraussickernlöchrig seintröpfelntropfenundicht seinWasserverlierenausrinnenZungemachenbelecken

Antonyms

schnupperndicht

This word in other languages

lick(English)lamer(Español)lécher(Français)lamber(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elcken
  • lceken
  • leccken
  • lecekn
  • leckenn
  • leckken
  • leckne
  • lekcen
  • llecken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lecken - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

elcken2lceken2leccken1lecekn2leckenn1leckken1leckne2lekcen2
Edit distance from "lecken"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lecken"?
"lecken" is spelled L-E-C-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlɛkn̩].
What does "lecken" mean?
As a verb, "lecken" means: mit der Zunge an einer Oberfläche herumfahren
What words are commonly confused with "lecken"?
"lecken" is commonly confused with "lesen", "legen", "Lücke". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lecken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lecken" is [ˈlɛkn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lecken" come from?
"lecken" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lecken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lücken#8,908Kurier#8,900nettes#8,914Pakete#8,916

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Jersey9 variantsHolger9 variantsGehäuse9 variantsFinanz9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list