Which to use
“Ellen” and “Enten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,181
- “Ellen” frequency rank
- #15,072
- “Enten” frequency rank
- 24253
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ellen | Enten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Elle | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ente |
Where the eye mixes Ellen and Enten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Ellen with Enten
A purely visual mix-up. Ellen ([ˈɛlən]) and Enten ([ˈɛntn̩]) 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 24253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ellen is recorded at frequency rank #9,181, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛlən]. Enten is at rank #15,072, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛntn̩].
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 24253, this pair ranks #1,850,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ellen vs Enten
Shared letters: en. Private to "Ellen": l. Private to "Enten": t.
"Ellen" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "Enten" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ellen" for "Enten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Ellen" or "Enten"?
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 "Ellen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Enten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,850,274 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ellen" and "Enten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Enten vs Eupen". 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 #1,850,274 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.