Which to use
“eigen” and “eisern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,852
- “eigen” frequency rank
- #43,835
- “eisern” frequency rank
- 52687
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eigen | eisern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas zugehörig, jemandem selbst gehörend | aus dem Metall Eisen bestehend |
Where the eye mixes eigen and eisern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: eigen vs eisern
A purely visual mix-up. eigen ([ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and eisern ([ˈaɪ̯zɐn]) 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 52687, 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]. eisern is at rank #43,835, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯zɐn].
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 52687, this pair ranks #1,087,166 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of eigen vs eisern
Shared letters: ein. Private to "eigen": g. Private to "eisern": rs.
"eigen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "eisern" · 6 letters · shape VVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "eigen" and "eisern" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "eigen" or "eisern" show up more?
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 "eigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eisern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,087,166 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eigen" and "eisern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eisern vs eiserner". 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 #1,087,166 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.