Which to use
“eilten” is a verb and “eitel” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,547
- “eilten” frequency rank
- #23,907
- “eitel” frequency rank
- 68454
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eilten | eitel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs eilen | voller Selbstverliebtheit, sich selbst bewundernd |
Where the eye mixes eilten and eitel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses eilten with eitel
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eilten is [ˈaɪ̯ltn̩] while eitel is [ˈaɪ̯təl]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68454, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eilten is recorded at frequency rank #44,547, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ltn̩]. eitel is at rank #23,907, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯təl].
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 68454, this pair ranks #507,237 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of eilten vs eitel
Shared letters: eilt. Private to "eilten": n. Private to "eitel": -.
"eilten" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC · "eitel" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eilten" and "eitel" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "eilten" vs "eitel" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "eilten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eitel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #507,237 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eilten" and "eitel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eilten vs Exoten". 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 #507,237 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.