empfehlenvsempfohleneWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: empfehlen is a verb, empfohlene is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“empfehlen” is a verb and “empfohlene” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,808
“empfehlen” frequency rank
#30,528
“empfohlene” frequency rank
32336
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empfehlen empfohlene
Definition jemanden/etwas als vorteilhaft, geeignet, zuverlässig infrage kommend benennen; jemandem anraten, sich für jemanden beziehungsweise etwas zu entscheiden Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs empfohlen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set empfehlen and empfohlene apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
empfehlen
10 ch
empfohlene

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

empfehlen and empfohlene form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32336, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empfehlen is recorded at frequency rank #1,808, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡feːlən]. empfohlene is at rank #30,528, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡foːlənə].

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 32336, this pair ranks #1,709,810 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

empfehlen#1,808
empfohlene#30,528

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empfehlen" and "empfohlene" be used interchangeably?
No, "empfehlen" and "empfohlene" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering empfehlen vs empfohlene

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “empfehlen”; for an adjective, it's “empfohlene”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “empfehlen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list