Which to use
“eigen” is an adjective and “eignen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,852
- “eigen” frequency rank
- #7,034
- “eignen” frequency rank
- 15886
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eigen | eignen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas zugehörig, jemandem selbst gehörend | für einen Einsatz, eine Funktion benötigte Eigenschaften oder Fähigkeiten besitzen |
Where the eye mixes eigen and eignen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between eigen and eignen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eigen is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩] while eignen is [ˈaɪ̯ɡnən]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15886, 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]. eignen is at rank #7,034, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡnən].
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 15886, this pair ranks #1,940,329 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eigen vs eignen
Shared letters: egin. Private to "eigen": -. Private to "eignen": -.
"eigen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "eignen" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "eigen" for "eignen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "eigen" or "eignen" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "eigen" and "eignen" 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 "eignen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,940,329 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eigen" and "eignen" 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 #1,940,329 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.