Which to use
“Einkauf” is a noun and “einkaufen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,036
- “Einkauf” frequency rank
- #3,722
- “einkaufen” frequency rank
- 10758
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Einkauf | einkaufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Erwerben von etwas gegen Geld | Gegenstände des täglichen Bedarfs erwerben |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Einkauf and einkaufen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Einkauf is [ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯f] while einkaufen is [ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯fn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Einkauf” sits inside “einkaufen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Einkauf is recorded at frequency rank #7,036, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯f]. einkaufen is at rank #3,722, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯fn̩].
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 10758, this pair ranks #1,973,470 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Einkauf vs einkaufen
Shared letters: aefiknu. Private to "Einkauf": -. Private to "einkaufen": -.
"Einkauf" · 7 letters · shape VVCCVVC · "einkaufen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Einkauf" and "einkaufen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Einkauf" or "einkaufen"?
Remembering Einkauf vs einkaufen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Einkauf”; for a verb, it's “einkaufen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Einkauf” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable