lindvslynxWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“lind” and “lynx” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#36,225
“lind” frequency rank
#26,871
“lynx” frequency rank
63096
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lind lynx
Definition The lime tree, or linden tree. Any of several medium-sized wild cats of the genus Lynx.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lind and lynx apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lind
4 ch
lynx

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lind (/lɪnd/) and lynx (/lɪŋks/) 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 63096, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lind is recorded at frequency rank #36,225, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɪnd/. lynx is at rank #26,871, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɪŋks/.

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 63096, this pair ranks #84,902 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lind vs lynx

Shared letters: ln. Private to "lind": di. Private to "lynx": xy.

"lind" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lynx" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lindilnd · lidn · lindd · linnd · llind · lnid
  • lynxllynx · lnyx · lynnx · lynxx · lyxn · lyynx · ylnx

Frequency comparison

lind#36,225
lynx#26,871

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lind" and "lynx" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/lɪnd/ versus /lɪŋks/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lind" or "lynx"?
"lynx" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,871 in our English list, against #36,225 for "lind". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lind vs lynx

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lind” 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