EinzelfallvsEinzelfällenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,354
“Einzelfall” frequency rank
#19,884
“Einzelfällen” frequency rank
25238
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Einzelfall Einzelfällen
Definition einmaliges Ereignis, einmalige Erscheinung Dativ Plural des Substantivs Einzelfall

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Einzelfall and Einzelfällen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
Einzelfall
12 ch
Einzelfällen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Einzelfall ([ˈaɪ̯nt͡sl̩ˌfal]) and Einzelfällen ([ˈaɪ̯nt͡sl̩ˌfɛlən]) 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 25238, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Einzelfall is recorded at frequency rank #5,354, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nt͡sl̩ˌfal]. Einzelfällen is at rank #19,884, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nt͡sl̩ˌfɛlən].

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 25238, this pair ranks #1,836,161 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Einzelfall vs Einzelfällen

Shared letters: efilnz. Private to "Einzelfall": a. Private to "Einzelfällen": ä.

"Einzelfall" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCC  ·  "Einzelfällen" · 12 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Einzelfalleinezlfall · einnzelfall · einzeflall · einzelafll · einzelfal · einzelffall · einzelflal · einzellfall

Frequency comparison

Einzelfall#5,354
Einzelfällen#19,884

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Einzelfall" and "Einzelfällen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯nt͡sl̩ˌfal] versus [ˈaɪ̯nt͡sl̩ˌfɛlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Einzelfall" or "Einzelfällen"?
"Einzelfall" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,354 in our German list, against #19,884 for "Einzelfällen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Einzelfall vs Einzelfällen

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 “Einzelfall” 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