Which to use
“einfallen” and “eingefallen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,287
- “einfallen” frequency rank
- #11,419
- “eingefallen” frequency rank
- 17706
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | einfallen | eingefallen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (unerwünscht oder sogar gewaltsam) eindringen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs einfallen |
Where the eye mixes einfallen and eingefallen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: einfallen vs eingefallen
A purely visual mix-up. einfallen ([ˈaɪ̯nˌfalən]) and eingefallen ([ˈaɪ̯nɡəˌfalən]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17706, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
einfallen is recorded at frequency rank #6,287, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌfalən]. eingefallen is at rank #11,419, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nɡəˌfalən].
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 17706, this pair ranks #1,925,013 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of einfallen vs eingefallen
Shared letters: aefiln. Private to "einfallen": -. Private to "eingefallen": g.
"einfallen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC · "eingefallen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- einfallen ← eifnallen · einafllen · einfaleln · einfalen · einfallenn · einfallne · einffallen · einflalen
- eingefallen ← eignefallen · einegfallen · eingeafllen · eingefaleln · eingefalen · eingefallenn · eingefallne · eingeffallen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "einfallen" and "eingefallen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "einfallen" vs "eingefallen" - 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 "einfallen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eingefallen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,925,013 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "einfallen" and "eingefallen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Einfälle vs einfallen". 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 #1,925,013 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.