Which to use
“lang” is an adjective and “lin” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,408
- “lang” frequency rank
- #8,118
- “lin” frequency rank
- 20526
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lang | lin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Long, longue, de grande taille, (dimension spatiale). | Plante herbacée de la famille des Linacées, à feuilles simples, à fleurs généralement bleues, cultivée dans les pays tempérés pour ses graines oléagineuses et pour la fibre textile que fournit sa tige. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lang and lin apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lang and lin form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20526, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lang is recorded at frequency rank #12,408, classified as anadj, pronounced \laŋ\. lin is at rank #8,118, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lɛ̃\.
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 20526, this pair ranks #367,825 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lang" and "lin" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lang vs lin
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “lang”; for a noun, it's “lin”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lang” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable