empfangenvsEmpfängernWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: empfangen is a verb, Empfängern is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“empfangen” is a verb and “Empfängern” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,883
“empfangen” frequency rank
#30,529
“Empfängern” frequency rank
34412
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empfangen Empfängern
Definition etwas bekommen Dativ Plural des Substantivs Empfänger

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
empfangen
10 ch
Empfängern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: empfangen is [ɛmˈp͡faŋən] while Empfängern is [ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empfangen is recorded at frequency rank #3,883, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡faŋən]. Empfängern is at rank #30,529, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐn].

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 34412, this pair ranks #1,663,916 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of empfangen vs Empfängern

Shared letters: efgmnp. Private to "empfangen": a. Private to "Empfängern": .

"empfangen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "Empfängern" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empfangenemfpangen · emmpfangen · empafngen · empfagnen · empfanegn · empfangenn · empfanggen · empfangne

Frequency comparison

empfangen#3,883
Empfängern#30,529

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empfangen" and "Empfängern" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "empfangen" is a verb and "Empfängern" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "empfangen" or "Empfängern"?
"empfangen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,883 in our German list, against #30,529 for "Empfängern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering empfangen vs Empfängern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “empfangen”; for a noun, it's “Empfängern”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “empfangen” 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