EinkaufvsEinkaufsWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Einkauf” and “Einkaufs” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,036
“Einkauf” frequency rank
#36,903
“Einkaufs” frequency rank
43939
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Einkauf Einkaufs
Definition das Erwerben von etwas gegen Geld Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Einkauf

Where the eye mixes Einkauf and Einkaufs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Einkauf runs 7 letters (VVCCVVC) against Einkaufs's 8 (VVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Einkauf
8 ch
Einkaufs

Look-alike desk: Einkauf vs Einkaufs

A purely visual mix-up. Einkauf ([ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯f]) and Einkaufs ([ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯fs]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Einkauf” sits inside “Einkaufs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43939, 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]. Einkaufs is at rank #36,903, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯fs].

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 43939, this pair ranks #1,402,222 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Einkauf vs Einkaufs

Shared letters: aefiknu. Private to "Einkauf": -. Private to "Einkaufs": s.

"Einkauf" · 7 letters · shape VVCCVVC  ·  "Einkaufs" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Einkauf ← eiknauf · einakuf · einkafu · einkauff · einkkauf · einkuaf · einnkauf · enikauf
  • Einkaufs ← eiknaufs · einakufs · einkafus · einkauffs · einkaufss · einkausf · einkkaufs · einkuafs

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Einkauf" and "Einkaufs" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯f] versus [ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯fs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Einkauf" or "Einkaufs"?
"Einkauf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,036 in our German list, against #36,903 for "Einkaufs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Einkauf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Einkaufs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,402,222 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Einkauf" and "Einkaufs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Einkaufs vs einkauft". 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 #1,402,222 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list