ebnenvseilenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“ebnen” and “eilen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#41,123
“ebnen” frequency rank
#25,518
“eilen” frequency rank
66641
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ebnen eilen
Definition etwas auf eine Ebene oder die gleiche Höhe bringen; eben machen schnell gehen, um ein Ziel möglichst schnell zu erreichen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ebnen and eilen apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
ebnen
5 ch
eilen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ebnen ([ˈeːbnən]) and eilen ([ˈaɪ̯lən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66641, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ebnen is recorded at frequency rank #41,123, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈeːbnən]. eilen is at rank #25,518, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯lən].

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 66641, this pair ranks #566,433 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ebnen vs eilen

Shared letters: en. Private to "ebnen": b. Private to "eilen": il.

"ebnen" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "eilen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ebnenbenen · ebbnen · ebnenn · ebnne · ebnnen
  • eileneieln · eilenn · eillen · eilne · elien · ielen

Frequency comparison

ebnen#41,123
eilen#25,518

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ebnen" and "eilen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈeːbnən] versus [ˈaɪ̯lən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ebnen" or "eilen"?
"eilen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,518 in our German list, against #41,123 for "ebnen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ebnen vs eilen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ebnen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list