EmpfängersvsEmpfängnisWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#38,075
“Empfängers” frequency rank
#41,771
“Empfängnis” frequency rank
79846
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Empfängers Empfängnis
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Empfänger das Schwangerwerden, die Verschmelzung der Eizelle mit einem Spermium bei der Befruchtung und die Entstehung eines Keims beim Menschen

Where the eye mixes Empfängers and Empfängnis

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Empfängers (VCCCVCCVCC) and Empfängnis (VCCCVCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

10 ch
Empfängers
10 ch
Empfängnis

Visual trap between Empfängers and Empfängnis

A purely visual mix-up. Empfängers ([ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐs]) and Empfängnis ([ɛmˈp͡fɛŋnɪs]) 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 79846, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Empfängers is recorded at frequency rank #38,075, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐs]. Empfängnis is at rank #41,771, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɛŋnɪs].

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 79846, this pair ranks #207,813 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Empfängers vs Empfängnis

Shared letters: efgmnpsä. Private to "Empfängers": r. Private to "Empfängnis": i.

"Empfängers" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Empfängnis" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Empfängers" for "Empfängnis" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛmˈp͡fɛŋɐs] versus [ɛmˈp͡fɛŋnɪs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Empfängers" vs "Empfängnis" - which ranks higher?
"Empfängers" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,075 in our German list, against #41,771 for "Empfängnis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "Empfängers" and "Empfängnis" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Empfängers" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Empfängnis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #207,813 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Empfängers" and "Empfängnis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfange vs Empfängers". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #207,813 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list