Which to use
“einkaufen” and “einzukaufen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,722
- “einkaufen” frequency rank
- #27,268
- “einzukaufen” frequency rank
- 30990
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | einkaufen | einzukaufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gegenstände des täglichen Bedarfs erwerben | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs einkaufen |
Where the eye mixes einkaufen and einzukaufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. einkaufen runs 9 letters (VVCCVVCVC) against einzukaufen's 11 (VVCCVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: einkaufen vs einzukaufen
A purely visual mix-up. einkaufen ([ˈaɪ̯nˌkaʊ̯fn̩]) and einzukaufen ([ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌkaʊ̯fn̩]) 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 30990, 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]. einzukaufen is at rank #27,268, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌkaʊ̯fn̩].
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 30990, this pair ranks #1,736,962 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of einkaufen vs einzukaufen
Shared letters: aefiknu. Private to "einkaufen": -. Private to "einzukaufen": z.
"einkaufen" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVVCVC · "einzukaufen" · 11 letters · shape VVCCVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- einkaufen ← eiknaufen · einakufen · einkafuen · einkauefn · einkaufenn · einkauffen · einkaufne · einkkaufen
- einzukaufen ← einnzukaufen · einuzkaufen · einzkuaufen · einzuakufen · einzukafuen · einzukauefn · einzukaufenn · einzukauffen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "einkaufen" for "einzukaufen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "einkaufen" or "einzukaufen" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "einkaufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "einzukaufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,736,962 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "einkaufen" and "einzukaufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einzukaufen vs einzuräumen". 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 #1,736,962 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.