Which to use
“eigen” and “ewiger” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,852
- “eigen” frequency rank
- #24,708
- “ewiger” frequency rank
- 33560
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eigen | ewiger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas zugehörig, jemandem selbst gehörend | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ewig |
Where the eye mixes eigen and ewiger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses eigen with ewiger
A purely visual mix-up. eigen ([ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩]) and ewiger ([ˈeːvɪɡɐ]) 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 33560, 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]. ewiger is at rank #24,708, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːvɪɡɐ].
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 33560, this pair ranks #1,683,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eigen vs ewiger
Shared letters: egi. Private to "eigen": n. Private to "ewiger": rw.
"eigen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "ewiger" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "eigen" for "ewiger" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "eigen" or "ewiger" show up more?
Useful next steps
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 "ewiger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,683,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eigen" and "ewiger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "etwaiger vs ewiger". 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 #1,683,245 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.