Which to use
“empfindlich” and “empfindlichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,640
- “empfindlich” frequency rank
- #24,320
- “empfindlichen” frequency rank
- 34960
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empfindlich | empfindlichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | körperlich leicht auf äußere Einflüsse reagierend | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs empfindlich |
Where the eye mixes empfindlich and empfindlichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. empfindlich runs 11 letters (VCCCVCCCVCC) against empfindlichen's 13 (VCCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between empfindlich and empfindlichen
A purely visual mix-up. empfindlich ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪç]) and empfindlichen ([ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “empfindlich” sits inside “empfindlichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empfindlich is recorded at frequency rank #10,640, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪç]. empfindlichen is at rank #24,320, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈp͡fɪntlɪçn̩].
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 34960, this pair ranks #1,651,320 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empfindlich vs empfindlichen
Shared letters: cdefhilmnp. Private to "empfindlich": -. Private to "empfindlichen": -.
"empfindlich" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVCC · "empfindlichen" · 13 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- empfindlich ← emfpindlich · emmpfindlich · empffindlich · empfidnlich · empfinddlich · empfindilch · empfindlcih · empfindlicch
- empfindlichen ← emfpindlichen · emmpfindlichen · empffindlichen · empfidnlichen · empfinddlichen · empfindilchen · empfindlcihen · empfindlicchen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empfindlich" for "empfindlichen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "empfindlich" or "empfindlichen" show up more?
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 "empfindlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empfindlichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,651,320 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empfindlich" and "empfindlichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empfindlichen 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 #1,651,320 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.