ekvsemiWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ek is a preposition, emi is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ek” is a preposition and “emi” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#23,492
“ek” frequency rank
#38,706
“emi” frequency rank
62198
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ek emi
Definition aus einem Gebiet oder Raum heraus/hinaus mögen, Lust haben, im Begriff sein, geeignet sein (zu)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ek and emi apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
ek
3 ch
emi

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ek is apreposition and emiaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62198, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ek is recorded at frequency rank #23,492, classified as aprep, pronounced [ɛk]. emi is at rank #38,706, tagged as averb.

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 62198, this pair ranks #721,651 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ek vs emi

Shared letters: e. Private to "ek": k. Private to "emi": im.

"ek" · 2 letters · shape VC  ·  "emi" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequency comparison

ek#23,492
emi#38,706

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ek" and "emi" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ek" is a preposition and "emi" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ek" or "emi"?
"ek" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,492 in our German list, against #38,706 for "emi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ek vs emi

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “ek”; for a verb, it's “emi”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ek” 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