Which to use
“eisernen” and “externen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,041
- “eisernen” frequency rank
- #10,276
- “externen” frequency rank
- 21317
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eisernen | externen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs eisern | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs extern |
Where the eye mixes eisernen and externen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. eisernen (VVCVCCVC) and externen (VCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between eisernen and externen
A purely visual mix-up. eisernen ([ˈaɪ̯zɐnən]) and externen ([ˌɛksˈtɛʁnən]) 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 21317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eisernen is recorded at frequency rank #11,041, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯zɐnən]. externen is at rank #10,276, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌɛksˈtɛʁnən].
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 21317, this pair ranks #1,887,688 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eisernen vs externen
Shared letters: enr. Private to "eisernen": is. Private to "externen": tx.
"eisernen" · 8 letters · shape VVCVCCVC · "externen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "eisernen" and "externen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "eisernen" vs "externen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "eisernen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "externen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,887,688 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eisernen" and "externen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "externen vs externes". 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 #1,887,688 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.