einstellenvseinzustellenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,723
“einstellen” frequency rank
#9,887
“einzustellen” frequency rank
13610
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature einstellen einzustellen
Definition jemanden als Arbeitnehmer aufnehmen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs einstellen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set einstellen and einzustellen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
einstellen
12 ch
einzustellen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. einstellen ([ˈaɪ̯nˌʃtɛlən]) and einzustellen ([ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌʃtɛlən]) 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 13610, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

einstellen is recorded at frequency rank #3,723, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌʃtɛlən]. einzustellen is at rank #9,887, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌʃtɛlən].

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 13610, this pair ranks #1,956,864 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of einstellen vs einzustellen

Shared letters: eilnst. Private to "einstellen": -. Private to "einzustellen": uz.

"einstellen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVCCVC  ·  "einzustellen" · 12 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • einstelleneinnstellen · einsetllen · einsstellen · einsteleln · einstelen · einstellenn · einstellne · einstlelen
  • einzustelleneinnzustellen · einuzstellen · einzsutellen · einzusetllen · einzusstellen · einzusteleln · einzustelen · einzustellenn

Frequency comparison

einstellen#3,723
einzustellen#9,887

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "einstellen" and "einzustellen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯nˌʃtɛlən] versus [ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌʃtɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "einstellen" or "einzustellen"?
"einstellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,723 in our German list, against #9,887 for "einzustellen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering einstellen vs einzustellen

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 “einstellen” 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