eifrigvseinzigConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#15,070
“eifrig” frequency rank
#2,953
“einzig” frequency rank
18023
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eifrig einzig
Definition großen persönlichen Einsatz bei der Arbeit an einer Sache aufweisend nur einmal vorhanden

Where the eye mixes eifrig and einzig

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
eifrig
6 ch
einzig

Look-alike desk: eifrig vs einzig

A purely visual mix-up. eifrig ([ˈaɪ̯fʁɪç]) and einzig ([ˈaɪ̯nt͡sɪç]) 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 18023, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

eifrig is recorded at frequency rank #15,070, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯fʁɪç]. einzig is at rank #2,953, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nt͡sɪç].

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 18023, this pair ranks #1,922,128 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of eifrig vs einzig

Shared letters: egi. Private to "eifrig": fr. Private to "einzig": nz.

"eifrig" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC  ·  "einzig" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • eifrigefirig · eiffrig · eifirg · eifrgi · eifrigg · eifrrig · eirfig · iefrig
  • einzigeinizg · einnzig · einzgi · einzigg · einzzig · eiznig · enizig · ienzig

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "eifrig" for "einzig" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯fʁɪç] versus [ˈaɪ̯nt͡sɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "eifrig" vs "einzig" - which ranks higher?
"einzig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,953 in our German list, against #15,070 for "eifrig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "eifrig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "einzig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,922,128 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "eifrig" and "einzig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einzig vs einzog". 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 #1,922,128 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list