Which to use
“Empfang” is a noun and “empfangen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,264
- “Empfang” frequency rank
- #3,883
- “empfangen” frequency rank
- 8147
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Empfang | empfangen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Empfangen einer Übertragung (zum Beispiel Rundfunk, Funk, Handy, …) | etwas bekommen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Empfang and empfangen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Empfang is [ɛmˈp͡faŋ] while empfangen is [ɛmˈp͡faŋən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Empfang” sits inside “empfangen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8147, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Empfang is recorded at frequency rank #4,264, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡faŋ]. empfangen is at rank #3,883, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡faŋən].
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 8147, this pair ranks #1,985,456 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Empfang vs empfangen
Shared letters: aefgmnp. Private to "Empfang": -. Private to "empfangen": -.
"Empfang" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "empfangen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Empfang" and "empfangen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Empfang" or "empfangen"?
Remembering Empfang vs empfangen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Empfang”; for a verb, it's “empfangen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Empfang” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable