Which to use
“eilig” and “ewig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,485
- “eilig” frequency rank
- #2,496
- “ewig” frequency rank
- 14981
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eilig | ewig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Eile, rasch | endlos, zeitlich unbegrenzt |
Where the eye mixes eilig and ewig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: eilig vs ewig
A purely visual mix-up. eilig ([ˈaɪ̯lɪç]) and ewig ([ˈeːvɪç]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14981, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eilig is recorded at frequency rank #12,485, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯lɪç]. ewig is at rank #2,496, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːvɪç].
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 14981, this pair ranks #1,947,325 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eilig vs ewig
Shared letters: egi. Private to "eilig": l. Private to "ewig": w.
"eilig" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC · "ewig" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "eilig" for "ewig" ever safe?
Which is more common, "eilig" or "ewig"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "eilig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ewig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,947,325 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eilig" and "ewig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "egli vs eilig". 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 #1,947,325 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.