AnfängevsanfängstWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Anfänge is a noun, anfängst is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Anfänge” is a noun and “anfängst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,996
“Anfänge” frequency rank
#26,745
“anfängst” frequency rank
37741
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Anfänge anfängst
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Anfang 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs anfangen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Anfänge and anfängst apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Anfänge
8 ch
anfängst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Anfänge is [ˈanfɛŋə] while anfängst is [ˈanˌfɛŋst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37741, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Anfänge is recorded at frequency rank #10,996, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈanfɛŋə]. anfängst is at rank #26,745, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌfɛŋst].

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 37741, this pair ranks #1,582,236 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Anfänge vs anfängst

Shared letters: afgnä. Private to "Anfänge": e. Private to "anfängst": st.

"Anfänge" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "anfängst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC

Frequency comparison

Anfänge#10,996
anfängst#26,745

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Anfänge" and "anfängst" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Anfänge" is a noun and "anfängst" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Anfänge" or "anfängst"?
"Anfänge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,996 in our German list, against #26,745 for "anfängst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Anfänge vs anfängst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Anfänge”; for a verb, it's “anfängst”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Anfänge” 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