Which to use
“eich” and “eil” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,861
- “eich” frequency rank
- #35,151
- “eil” frequency rank
- 54012
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eich | eil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs eichen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs eilen |
Where the eye mixes eich and eil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: eich vs eil
A purely visual mix-up. eich ([aɪ̯ç]) and eil ([aɪ̯l]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54012, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eich is recorded at frequency rank #18,861, classified as averb, pronounced [aɪ̯ç]. eil is at rank #35,151, tagged as averb, pronounced [aɪ̯l].
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 54012, this pair ranks #1,035,522 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of eich vs eil
Shared letters: ei. Private to "eich": ch. Private to "eil": l.
"eich" · 4 letters · shape VVCC · "eil" · 3 letters · shape VVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- eich ← ecih · eicch · eichh · eihc · iech
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eich" and "eil" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "eich" vs "eil" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "eich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,035,522 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eich" and "eil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eil vs Erle". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,035,522 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.