lindyvslintWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#35,386
“lindy” frequency rank
#29,346
“lint” frequency rank
64732
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lindy lint
Definition A jitterbug, originated in Harlem, New York. Clinging fuzzy fluff that clings to fabric or accumulates in one's pockets or navel etc.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
lindy
4 ch
lint

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

lindy and lint are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64732, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lindy is recorded at frequency rank #35,386, classified as anoun. lint is at rank #29,346, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɪnt/.

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 64732, this pair ranks #76,236 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lindy vs lint

Shared letters: iln. Private to "lindy": dy. Private to "lint": t.

"lindy" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "lint" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lindyilndy · lidny · linddy · lindyy · linndy · linyd · llindy · lnidy
  • lintilnt · linnt · lintt · litn · llint · lnit

Frequency comparison

lindy#35,386
lint#29,346

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lindy" and "lint" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "lindy" or "lint"?
"lint" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,346 in our English list, against #35,386 for "lindy". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lindy vs lint

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 “lindy” 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