Which to use
“eigens” is an adverb and “eilen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,901
- “eigens” frequency rank
- #25,518
- “eilen” frequency rank
- 33419
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eigens | eilen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | besonders für diesen Menschen oder für diesen Zweck | schnell gehen, um ein Ziel möglichst schnell zu erreichen |
Where the eye mixes eigens and eilen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses eigens with eilen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eigens is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩s] while eilen is [ˈaɪ̯lən]. 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 (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33419, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eigens is recorded at frequency rank #7,901, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩s]. eilen is at rank #25,518, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯lən].
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 33419, this pair ranks #1,686,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eigens vs eilen
Shared letters: ein. Private to "eigens": gs. Private to "eilen": l.
"eigens" · 6 letters · shape VVCVCC · "eilen" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "eigens" for "eilen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "eigens" or "eilen" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "eigens" and "eilen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "eigens" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eilen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,686,372 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eigens" and "eilen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eilen 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 #1,686,372 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.