lien

\ljɛ̃\

/\ljɛ̃\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“lien” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #656) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#656
frequency rank, French
2,567
“L” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Ce qui sert à lier, à attacher des objets ou des parties ensemble.

Corpus desk

Index FR-lien · lien · French

lien · rank #656 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #656
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,567
  • PHOTO-FINISH image

Nearest frequency peer: image (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “lien”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “lien” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lien vs lit
50% similar
lien vs lis
50% similar
lien vs lin
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for lien
PropertyValue
Headwordlien
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ljɛ̃\
Letters4
Frequency rank#656
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lien” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). lien lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for lien is neighbouring look-alikes ("lit", "lis", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \ljɛ̃\. Frequency #656 among 2,567 “L” headwords. 9 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for lien, with forms such as "ilen", "lein", and "lienn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lit", "lis", "lin", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is lien, spelled L-I-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ce qui sert à lier, à attacher des objets ou des parties ensemble.
  2. 2
    Corde ou chaîne qui sert à attacher un prisonnier. En ce sens, il se met ordinairement au pluriel.
  3. 3
    Engagement ; contrat ; attache ; union.
  4. 4
    Élément qui rattache deux ou plusieurs choses entre elles, assure leur relation.
  5. 5
    Dépendance dans laquelle une femme tient un homme en dehors du mariage.
  6. 6
    Les barres horizontales ou obliques réunissant plusieurs figures de notes à crochets successives.
  7. 7
    Moyen hypertexte de transfert vers une source du Web.
  8. 8
    Référence à un fichier ou répertoire apparaissant elle-même comme un fichier.
  9. 9
    Connexion prévue par le concepteur d’une application informatique pour relier des programmes, des parties de programmes, des données, des documents, des sites ou des pages sur la toile.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how lien appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Un lien de paille, de jonc, d’osier.
  2. Un lien de fer.

Synonyms

ligaturemot d’hypertexte

This word in other languages

tie(English)enlace(Español)Fessel(Deutsch)ligação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilen
  • lein
  • lienn
  • llien

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lien - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ilen2lein2lienn1llien1
Edit distance from "lien"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lien"?
"lien" is spelled L-I-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ljɛ̃\.
What does "lien" mean?
As a noun, "lien" means: Ce qui sert à lier, à attacher des objets ou des parties ensemble.
What words are commonly confused with "lien"?
"lien" is commonly confused with "lit", "lis", "lin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lien"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lien" is \ljɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lien" come from?
"lien" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lien", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pire#659sauf#661cour#669cher#682

What to do next

You've looked up "lien". Here's where to go from here.

  • "lien" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "lit". View pair
  • 4 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #656 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "L" letter cohort. L–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list