Which to use
“eigenen” is an adjective and “eignen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #351
- “eigenen” frequency rank
- #7,034
- “eignen” frequency rank
- 7385
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eigenen | eignen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs eigen | für einen Einsatz, eine Funktion benötigte Eigenschaften oder Fähigkeiten besitzen |
Where the eye mixes eigenen and eignen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses eigenen with eignen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eigenen is [ˈaɪ̯ɡənən] 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 7385, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eigenen is recorded at frequency rank #351, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡənən]. 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 7385, this pair ranks #1,988,357 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eigenen vs eignen
Shared letters: egin. Private to "eigenen": -. Private to "eignen": -.
"eigenen" · 7 letters · shape VVCVCVC · "eignen" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eigenen" and "eignen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "eigenen" or "eignen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "eigenen" 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 #1,988,357 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eigenen" and "eignen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eignen vs eignete". 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 #1,988,357 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.