Which to use
“einfahren” and “ernähren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,547
- “einfahren” frequency rank
- #7,910
- “ernähren” frequency rank
- 27457
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | einfahren | ernähren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit einem Fortbewegungsmittel in eine Sache/in einen Ort hineinfahren | regelmäßig für Nahrung sorgen |
Where the eye mixes einfahren and ernähren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: einfahren vs ernähren
A purely visual mix-up. einfahren ([ˈaɪ̯nˌfaːʁən]) and ernähren ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁən]) 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 27457, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
einfahren is recorded at frequency rank #19,547, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌfaːʁən]. ernähren is at rank #7,910, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁən].
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 27457, this pair ranks #1,801,500 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of einfahren vs ernähren
Shared letters: ehnr. Private to "einfahren": afi. Private to "ernähren": ä.
"einfahren" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "ernähren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- einfahren ← eifnahren · einafhren · einfahern · einfahhren · einfahrenn · einfahrne · einfahrren · einfarhen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "einfahren" for "ernähren" ever safe?
Which is more common, "einfahren" or "ernähren"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "einfahren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ernähren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,801,500 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "einfahren" and "ernähren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einfahren vs einkehren". 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 #1,801,500 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.