eilvseiltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“eil” and “eilt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#35,151
“eil” frequency rank
#16,395
“eilt” frequency rank
51546
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eil eilt
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs eilen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs eilen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set eil and eilt apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
eil
4 ch
eilt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. eil ([aɪ̯l]) and eilt ([aɪ̯lt]) 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 extra letter(s) - “eil” sits inside “eilt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51546, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

eil is recorded at frequency rank #35,151, classified as averb, pronounced [aɪ̯l]. eilt is at rank #16,395, tagged as averb, pronounced [aɪ̯lt].

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 51546, this pair ranks #1,131,343 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of eil vs eilt

Shared letters: eil. Private to "eil": -. Private to "eilt": t.

"eil" · 3 letters · shape VVC  ·  "eilt" · 4 letters · shape VVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • eilteillt · eiltt · eitl · elit · ielt

Frequency comparison

eil#35,151
eilt#16,395

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "eil" and "eilt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aɪ̯l] versus [aɪ̯lt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "eil" or "eilt"?
"eilt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,395 in our German list, against #35,151 for "eil". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering eil vs eilt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “eil” 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