Which to use
“Empfänger” and “Empfängern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,477
- “Empfänger” frequency rank
- #30,529
- “Empfängern” frequency rank
- 36006
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Empfänger | Empfängern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person, die etwas empfängt, bekommt, erhält, entgegennimmt; jemand, der etwas in Empfang nimmt | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Empfänger |
Where the eye mixes Empfänger and Empfängern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Empfänger runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against Empfängern's 10 (VCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Empfänger with Empfängern
A purely visual mix-up. Empfänger ([ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐ]) and Empfängern ([ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐn]) 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) - “Empfänger” sits inside “Empfängern”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36006, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Empfänger is recorded at frequency rank #5,477, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐ]. 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 36006, this pair ranks #1,626,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Empfänger vs Empfängern
Shared letters: efgmnprä. Private to "Empfänger": -. Private to "Empfängern": -.
"Empfänger" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "Empfängern" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Empfänger" for "Empfängern" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Empfänger" or "Empfängern" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Empfänger" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Empfängern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,626,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Empfänger" and "Empfängern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfange vs Empfängern". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,626,297 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.