empfangevsempfangenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,770
“empfange” frequency rank
#3,883
“empfangen” frequency rank
45653
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empfange empfangen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs empfangen etwas bekommen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set empfange and empfangen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
empfange
9 ch
empfangen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. empfange ([ɛmˈp͡faŋə]) and empfangen ([ɛmˈp͡faŋən]) 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 extra letter(s) - “empfange” sits inside “empfangen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45653, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empfange is recorded at frequency rank #41,770, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡faŋə]. 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 45653, this pair ranks #1,345,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of empfange vs empfangen

Shared letters: aefgmnp. Private to "empfange": -. Private to "empfangen": -.

"empfange" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV  ·  "empfangen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empfangeemfpange · emmpfange · empafnge · empfagne · empfaneg · empfangge · empfannge · empffange
  • empfangenemfpangen · emmpfangen · empafngen · empfagnen · empfanegn · empfangenn · empfanggen · empfangne

Frequency comparison

empfange#41,770
empfangen#3,883

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empfange" and "empfangen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛmˈp͡faŋə] versus [ɛmˈp͡faŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "empfange" or "empfangen"?
"empfangen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,883 in our German list, against #41,770 for "empfange". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering empfange vs empfangen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “empfange” 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