Master confusing words with ease
Lean vs. Lien
Lean
/liːn/Examples:
Miss Baker leant forward in her chair.She is leaning on Monsieur Boulanger's arm.'He leaned across and spoke to the chauffeur.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Lien
/ˈliːən/Examples:
The creditor placed a lien on the debtor's property.He couldn't sell the car until the lien was settled.The contractor filed a lien for unpaid labor costs.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Lean can refer to being slim or to incline against something, while lien is a legal claim on property.
- Remember that lien relates to legal or financial circumstances, unlike lean which is not used in these contexts.
- Lean rhymes with seen which can help you focus on its physical meanings, whereas lien might remind you of line in the sense of a legal line of claim.
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