empfindetvserfindetTell them apart

Which to use

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

#12,488
“empfindet” frequency rank
#23,502
“erfindet” frequency rank
35990
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empfindet erfindet
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs empfinden 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfinden

Where the eye mixes empfindet and erfindet

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. empfindet runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against erfindet's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
empfindet
8 ch
erfindet

Visual trap between empfindet and erfindet

A purely visual mix-up. empfindet ([ɛmˈp͡fɪndət]) and erfindet ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndət]) 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 35990, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empfindet is recorded at frequency rank #12,488, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪndət]. erfindet is at rank #23,502, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndət].

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 35990, this pair ranks #1,626,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of empfindet vs erfindet

Shared letters: defint. Private to "empfindet": mp. Private to "erfindet": r.

"empfindet" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "erfindet" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empfindet ← emfpindet · emmpfindet · empffindet · empfidnet · empfinddet · empfindett · empfindte · empfinedt
  • erfindet ← efrindet · erffindet · erfidnet · erfinddet · erfindett · erfindte · erfinedt · erfinndet

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empfindet" and "erfindet" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛmˈp͡fɪndət] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndət]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "empfindet" vs "erfindet" - which ranks higher?
"empfindet" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,488 in our German list, against #23,502 for "erfindet". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "empfindet" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erfindet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,626,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "empfindet" and "erfindet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfanden 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 #1,626,694 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