einlegenvseinlenkenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,636
“einlegen” frequency rank
#43,827
“einlenken” frequency rank
55463
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature einlegen einlenken
Definition etwas in einen dafür vorgesehenen Hohlraum legen ein Fahrzeug oder Ähnliches von einer Richtung in eine andere steuern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set einlegen and einlenken apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
einlegen
9 ch
einlenken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. einlegen ([ˈaɪ̯nˌleːɡn̩]) and einlenken ([ˈaɪ̯nˌlɛŋkn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55463, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

einlegen is recorded at frequency rank #11,636, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌleːɡn̩]. einlenken is at rank #43,827, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌlɛŋkn̩].

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 55463, this pair ranks #978,596 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of einlegen vs einlenken

Shared letters: eiln. Private to "einlegen": g. Private to "einlenken": k.

"einlegen" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVCVC  ·  "einlenken" · 9 letters · shape VVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • einlegeneilnegen · einelgen · einleegn · einlegenn · einleggen · einlegne · einlgeen · einllegen
  • einlenkeneilnenken · einelnken · einleknen · einlenekn · einlenkenn · einlenkken · einlenkne · einlennken

Frequency comparison

einlegen#11,636
einlenken#43,827

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "einlegen" and "einlenken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯nˌleːɡn̩] versus [ˈaɪ̯nˌlɛŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "einlegen" or "einlenken"?
"einlegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,636 in our German list, against #43,827 for "einlenken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering einlegen vs einlenken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “einlegen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list