Which to use
“empfangen” and “empfunden” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,883
- “empfangen” frequency rank
- #8,702
- “empfunden” frequency rank
- 12585
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empfangen | empfunden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas bekommen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs empfinden |
Where the eye mixes empfangen and empfunden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. empfangen and empfunden follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between empfangen and empfunden
A purely visual mix-up. empfangen ([ɛmˈp͡faŋən]) and empfunden ([ɛmˈp͡fʊndn̩]) 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 12585, 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]. empfunden is at rank #8,702, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fʊndn̩].
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 12585, this pair ranks #1,963,305 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empfangen vs empfunden
Shared letters: efmnp. Private to "empfangen": ag. Private to "empfunden": du.
"empfangen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "empfunden" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empfangen" for "empfunden" ever safe?
Which is more common, "empfangen" or "empfunden"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "empfangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empfunden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,963,305 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empfangen" and "empfunden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfunden vs empfundenen". 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 #1,963,305 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.