eigensvsewigesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: eigens is a adverb, ewiges is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“eigens” is an adverb and “ewiges” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,901
“eigens” frequency rank
#24,709
“ewiges” frequency rank
32610
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eigens ewiges
Definition besonders für diesen Menschen oder für diesen Zweck Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ewig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set eigens and ewiges apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
eigens
6 ch
ewiges

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eigens is [ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩s] while ewiges is [ˈeːvɪɡəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32610, 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]. ewiges is at rank #24,709, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːvɪɡəs].

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 32610, this pair ranks #1,703,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of eigens vs ewiges

Shared letters: egis. Private to "eigens": n. Private to "ewiges": w.

"eigens" · 6 letters · shape VVCVCC  ·  "ewiges" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • eigensegiens · eiegns · eigenns · eigenss · eigesn · eiggens · eignes · iegens
  • ewigeseiwges · ewgies · ewiegs · ewigess · ewigges · ewigse · ewwiges · weiges

Frequency comparison

eigens#7,901
ewiges#24,709

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "eigens" and "ewiges" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "eigens" is an adverb and "ewiges" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "eigens" or "ewiges"?
"eigens" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,901 in our German list, against #24,709 for "ewiges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering eigens vs ewiges

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “eigens”; for an adjective, it's “ewiges”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “eigens” 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