Which to use
“eisern” and “extern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,835
- “eisern” frequency rank
- #26,863
- “extern” frequency rank
- 70698
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eisern | extern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus dem Metall Eisen bestehend | außerhalb eines bestimmten implizit mitdefinierten Bezugsystems |
Where the eye mixes eisern and extern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: eisern vs extern
A purely visual mix-up. eisern ([ˈaɪ̯zɐn]) and extern ([ˌɛksˈtɛʁn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eisern is recorded at frequency rank #43,835, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯zɐn]. extern is at rank #26,863, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌɛksˈtɛʁn].
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 70698, this pair ranks #438,552 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of eisern vs extern
Shared letters: enr. Private to "eisern": is. Private to "extern": tx.
"eisern" · 6 letters · shape VVCVCC · "extern" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eisern" and "extern" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "eisern" or "extern"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "eisern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "extern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #438,552 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eisern" and "extern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eisern vs eiserner". 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 #438,552 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.