EigenartvseigenartigWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Eigenart is a noun, eigenartig is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Eigenart” is a noun and “eigenartig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,257
“Eigenart” frequency rank
#22,310
“eigenartig” frequency rank
49567
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Eigenart eigenartig
Definition eine einzelne, spezifische Besonderheit mit einer eigenen Art und Weise, besonders in seiner Art, vom Standard/Durchschnitt abweichend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Eigenart and eigenartig apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Eigenart
10 ch
eigenartig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Eigenart is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ˌʔaːɐ̯t] while eigenartig is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ʔaːɐ̯tɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Eigenart” sits inside “eigenartig”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49567, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Eigenart is recorded at frequency rank #27,257, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ˌʔaːɐ̯t]. eigenartig is at rank #22,310, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ʔaːɐ̯tɪç].

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 49567, this pair ranks #1,206,579 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Eigenart vs eigenartig

Shared letters: aeginrt. Private to "Eigenart": -. Private to "eigenartig": -.

"Eigenart" · 8 letters · shape VVCVCVCC  ·  "eigenartig" · 10 letters · shape VVCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Eigenartegienart · eiegnart · eigeanrt · eigenarrt · eigenartt · eigenatr · eigennart · eigenrat
  • eigenartigegienartig · eiegnartig · eigeanrtig · eigenaritg · eigenarrtig · eigenartgi · eigenartigg · eigenarttig

Frequency comparison

Eigenart#27,257
eigenartig#22,310

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Eigenart" and "eigenartig" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Eigenart" is a noun and "eigenartig" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Eigenart" or "eigenartig"?
"eigenartig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,310 in our German list, against #27,257 for "Eigenart". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Eigenart vs eigenartig

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Eigenart”; for an adjective, it's “eigenartig”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Eigenart” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list