Which to use
“Empfang” and “Empfänger” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,264
- “Empfang” frequency rank
- #5,477
- “Empfänger” frequency rank
- 9741
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Empfang | Empfänger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Empfangen einer Übertragung (zum Beispiel Rundfunk, Funk, Handy, …) | Person, die etwas empfängt, bekommt, erhält, entgegennimmt; jemand, der etwas in Empfang nimmt |
Where the eye mixes Empfang and Empfänger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Empfang runs 7 letters (VCCCVCC) against Empfänger's 9 (VCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Empfang vs Empfänger
A purely visual mix-up. Empfang ([ɛmˈp͡faŋ]) and Empfänger ([ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐ]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9741, 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]. Empfänger is at rank #5,477, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐ].
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 9741, this pair ranks #1,978,505 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Empfang vs Empfänger
Shared letters: efgmnp. Private to "Empfang": a. Private to "Empfänger": rä.
"Empfang" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "Empfänger" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Empfang ← emfpang · emmpfang · empafng · empfagn · empfangg · empfanng · empffang · empfnag
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Empfang" and "Empfänger" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Empfang" vs "Empfänger" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Empfang" and "Empfänger" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Empfang" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Empfänger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,978,505 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Empfang" and "Empfänger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfange vs Empfänger". 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 #1,978,505 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.