Which to use
“line” is a noun and “linked” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #306
- “line” frequency rank
- #2,797
- “linked” frequency rank
- 3103
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | line | linked |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight. | Connected, either with links, or as if with links. |
Where the eye mixes line and linked
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between line and linked
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: line is /laɪn/ while linked is /lɪŋkt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3103, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
line is recorded at frequency rank #306, classified as anoun, pronounced /laɪn/. linked is at rank #2,797, tagged as anadj, pronounced /lɪŋkt/.
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 3103, this pair ranks #523,098 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of line vs linked
Shared letters: eiln. Private to "line": -. Private to "linked": dk.
"line" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "linked" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "line" for "linked" ever safe?
Which is more common, "line" or "linked"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "line" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "linked" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #523,098 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "line" and "linked" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "linked vs linker". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #523,098 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.