ElementvsElevenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#5,074
“Element” frequency rank
#40,499
“Eleven” frequency rank
45573
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Element Eleven
Definition Baustein, Grundbestandteil Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Eleve

Where the eye mixes Element and Eleven

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Element
6 ch
Eleven

Visual trap between Element and Eleven

A purely visual mix-up. Element ([eləˈmɛnt]) and Eleven ([eˈleːvn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45573, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Element is recorded at frequency rank #5,074, classified as anoun, pronounced [eləˈmɛnt]. Eleven is at rank #40,499, tagged as anoun, pronounced [eˈleːvn̩].

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 45573, this pair ranks #1,348,467 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Element vs Eleven

Shared letters: eln. Private to "Element": mt. Private to "Eleven": v.

"Element" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCC  ·  "Eleven" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Elementeelment · eleemnt · elemennt · elementt · elemetn · elemment · elemnet · ellement
  • Eleveneelven · eleevn · elevenn · elevne · elevven · elleven · elveen · leeven

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Element" for "Eleven" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([eləˈmɛnt] versus [eˈleːvn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Element" or "Eleven" show up more?
"Element" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,074 in our German list, against #40,499 for "Eleven". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Element" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Eleven" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,348,467 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Element" and "Eleven" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Elben vs Eleven". 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 #1,348,467 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list