empfindenvsempfindestWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#5,700
“empfinden” frequency rank
#37,487
“empfindest” frequency rank
43187
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empfinden empfindest
Definition mit den menschlichen Sinnen (etwas) wahrnehmen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs empfinden

Where the eye mixes empfinden and empfindest

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. empfinden runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against empfindest's 10 (VCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
empfinden
10 ch
empfindest

Why the eye confuses empfinden with empfindest

A purely visual mix-up. empfinden ([ɛmˈp͡fɪndn̩]) and empfindest ([ɛmˈp͡fɪndəst]) 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 43187, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empfinden is recorded at frequency rank #5,700, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪndn̩]. empfindest is at rank #37,487, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪndəst].

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 43187, this pair ranks #1,425,950 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of empfinden vs empfindest

Shared letters: defimnp. Private to "empfinden": -. Private to "empfindest": st.

"empfinden" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "empfindest" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empfindenemfpinden · emmpfinden · empffinden · empfidnen · empfindden · empfindenn · empfindne · empfinedn
  • empfindestemfpindest · emmpfindest · empffindest · empfidnest · empfinddest · empfindesst · empfindestt · empfindets

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "empfinden" and "empfindest" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛmˈp͡fɪndn̩] versus [ɛmˈp͡fɪndəst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "empfinden" or "empfindest"?
"empfinden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,700 in our German list, against #37,487 for "empfindest". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "empfinden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "empfindest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,425,950 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "empfinden" and "empfindest" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfindest vs empfindet". 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 #1,425,950 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