Which to use
“empfehle” and “empfohlen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,290
- “empfehle” frequency rank
- #4,421
- “empfohlen” frequency rank
- 10711
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empfehle | empfohlen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs empfehlen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs empfehlen |
Where the eye mixes empfehle and empfohlen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. empfehle runs 8 letters (VCCCVCCV) against empfohlen's 9 (VCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses empfehle with empfohlen
A purely visual mix-up. empfehle ([ɛmˈp͡feːlə]) and empfohlen ([ɛmˈp͡foːlən]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10711, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empfehle is recorded at frequency rank #6,290, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡feːlə]. empfohlen is at rank #4,421, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡foːlən].
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 10711, this pair ranks #1,973,705 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empfehle vs empfohlen
Shared letters: efhlmp. Private to "empfehle": -. Private to "empfohlen": no.
"empfehle" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV · "empfohlen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "empfehle" and "empfohlen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "empfehle" vs "empfohlen" - which ranks higher?
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 "empfehle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empfohlen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,973,705 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empfehle" and "empfohlen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfohlen vs empfohlene". 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 #1,973,705 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.