Which to use
“lineages” and “linkage” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,642
- “lineages” frequency rank
- #24,224
- “linkage” frequency rank
- 60866
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lineages | linkage |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of lineage | A mechanical device that connects things. |
Where the eye mixes lineages and linkage
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. lineages runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against linkage's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: lineages vs linkage
A purely visual mix-up. lineages (/ˈlɪni.ɪdʒɪz/) and linkage (/ˈlɪŋkɪdʒ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60866, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lineages is recorded at frequency rank #36,642, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɪni.ɪdʒɪz/. linkage is at rank #24,224, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɪŋkɪdʒ/.
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 60866, this pair ranks #97,657 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lineages vs linkage
Shared letters: aegiln. Private to "lineages": s. Private to "linkage": k.
"lineages" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "linkage" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lineages" and "linkage" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lineages" or "linkage"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lineages" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "linkage" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #97,657 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lineages" and "linkage" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lineage vs lineages". 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 #97,657 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.