Which to use
“eigen” is an adjective and “eigens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,852
- “eigen” frequency rank
- #7,901
- “eigens” frequency rank
- 16753
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eigen | eigens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas zugehörig, jemandem selbst gehörend | besonders für diesen Menschen oder für diesen Zweck |
Where the eye mixes eigen and eigens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between eigen and eigens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eigen is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩] while eigens is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “eigen” sits inside “eigens”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16753, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eigen is recorded at frequency rank #8,852, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩]. eigens is at rank #7,901, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩s].
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 16753, this pair ranks #1,933,250 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eigen vs eigens
Shared letters: egin. Private to "eigen": -. Private to "eigens": s.
"eigen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "eigens" · 6 letters · shape VVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "eigen" and "eigens" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "eigen" or "eigens" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "eigen" and "eigens" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "eigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eigens" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,933,250 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eigen" and "eigens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eigen vs Eupen". 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 #1,933,250 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.