lean and lien are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. lean means “to incline or bend from a vertical position”. lien means “the right to take another's property if an obligation is not discharged”. lean is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈlin/
1.v.to incline or bend from a vertical position
“She leaned over the banister”
2.v.cause to lean or incline
“He leaned his rifle against the wall”
3.v.have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
“She tends to be nervous before her lectures”
| lean | lien | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈlin/ | /ˈlin/ |
| Said | leen | leen |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | verb, adjective, noun | noun |
| Senses | 10 | 2 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | tilt, tip, slant | none recorded |
Full entry for lean · Full entry for lien · More comparisons
/ˈlin/
1.n.the right to take another's property if an obligation is not discharged
2.n.a large dark-red oval organ on the left side of the body between the stomach and the diaphragm; produces cells involved in immune responses