Which to use
“lines” and “lungs” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,197
- “lines” frequency rank
- #7,470
- “lungs” frequency rank
- 8667
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lines | lungs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of line | plural of lung |
Where the eye mixes lines and lungs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lines with lungs
A purely visual mix-up. lines (/laɪnz/) and lungs (/lʌŋz/) 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 8667, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lines is recorded at frequency rank #1,197, classified as anoun, pronounced /laɪnz/. lungs is at rank #7,470, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lʌŋz/.
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 8667, this pair ranks #501,326 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lines vs lungs
Shared letters: lns. Private to "lines": ei. Private to "lungs": gu.
"lines" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "lungs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lines" and "lungs" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lines" vs "lungs" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lines" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lungs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #501,326 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lines" and "lungs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lunged vs lungs". 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 #501,326 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.