Which to use
“eigen” and “ewige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,852
- “eigen” frequency rank
- #7,914
- “ewige” frequency rank
- 16766
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eigen | ewige |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas zugehörig, jemandem selbst gehörend | Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs ewig |
Where the eye mixes eigen and ewige
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between eigen and ewige
A purely visual mix-up. eigen ([ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and ewige ([ˈeːvɪɡə]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16766, 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]. ewige is at rank #7,914, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːvɪɡə].
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 16766, this pair ranks #1,933,137 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eigen vs ewige
Shared letters: egi. Private to "eigen": n. Private to "ewige": w.
"eigen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "ewige" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "eigen" for "ewige" ever safe?
Which is more common, "eigen" or "ewige"?
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 "ewige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,933,137 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eigen" and "ewige" 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 #1,933,137 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.