Which to use
“empfänglich” and “empfindlich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,018
- “empfänglich” frequency rank
- #10,640
- “empfindlich” frequency rank
- 42658
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empfänglich | empfindlich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | für bestimmte Anregungen oder Eindrücke offen; bereit, neue Eindrücke, Empfindungen und Anregungen aufzunehmen | körperlich leicht auf äußere Einflüsse reagierend |
Where the eye mixes empfänglich and empfindlich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. empfänglich and empfindlich follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses empfänglich with empfindlich
A purely visual mix-up. empfänglich ([ɛmˈp͡fɛŋlɪç]) and empfindlich ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪç]) 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 42658, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empfänglich is recorded at frequency rank #32,018, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɛŋlɪç]. empfindlich is at rank #10,640, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪç].
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 42658, this pair ranks #1,442,578 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of empfänglich vs empfindlich
Shared letters: cefhilmnp. Private to "empfänglich": gä. Private to "empfindlich": d.
"empfänglich" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVCC · "empfindlich" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- empfindlich ← emfpindlich · emmpfindlich · empffindlich · empfidnlich · empfinddlich · empfindilch · empfindlcih · empfindlicch
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "empfänglich" and "empfindlich" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "empfänglich" vs "empfindlich" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "empfänglich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empfindlich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,442,578 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empfänglich" and "empfindlich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfindlich vs empfindlicher". 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 #1,442,578 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.