langvslinnWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lang is a adjective, linn is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lang” is an adjective and “linn” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,408
“lang” frequency rank
#46,866
“linn” frequency rank
59274
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lang linn
Definition Long, longue, de grande taille, (dimension spatiale). Ville.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lang and linn apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lang
4 ch
linn

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lang is \laŋ\ while linn is \linʲˑ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59274, 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\. linn is at rank #46,866, tagged as anoun, pronounced \linʲˑ\.

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 59274, this pair ranks #104,091 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lang vs linn

Shared letters: ln. Private to "lang": ag. Private to "linn": i.

"lang" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "linn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • langalng · lagn · langg · lanng · llang · lnag
  • linnilnn · llinn · lnin

Frequency comparison

lang#12,408
linn#46,866

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lang" and "linn" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lang" is an adjective and "linn" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lang" or "linn"?
"lang" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,408 in our French list, against #46,866 for "linn". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lang vs linn

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 “linn”.
  • 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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list