Which to use
“einkaufen” and “einlaufen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,722
- “einkaufen” frequency rank
- #34,607
- “einlaufen” frequency rank
- 38329
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | einkaufen | einlaufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gegenstände des täglichen Bedarfs erwerben | durch Waschen kleiner beziehungsweise enger werden |
Where the eye mixes einkaufen and einlaufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. einkaufen and einlaufen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VVCCVVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses einkaufen with einlaufen
A purely visual mix-up. einkaufen ([ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯fn̩]) and einlaufen ([ˈaɪ̯nˌlaʊ̯fn̩]) 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 a single letter - k in “einkaufen” becomes l in “einlaufen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38329, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
einkaufen is recorded at frequency rank #3,722, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯fn̩]. einlaufen is at rank #34,607, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌlaʊ̯fn̩].
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 38329, this pair ranks #1,566,801 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of einkaufen vs einlaufen
Shared letters: aefinu. Private to "einkaufen": k. Private to "einlaufen": l.
"einkaufen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC · "einlaufen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "einkaufen" for "einlaufen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "einkaufen" or "einlaufen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "einkaufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "einlaufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,566,801 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "einkaufen" and "einlaufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einlaufen vs einstufen". 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 #1,566,801 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.