Which to use
“empören” is a verb and “Empörung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,561
- “empören” frequency rank
- #8,703
- “Empörung” frequency rank
- 53264
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empören | Empörung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zornig werden, sich ärgern | stark emotionale Verärgerung über etwas |
Where the eye mixes empören and Empörung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. empören runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against Empörung's 8 (VCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between empören and Empörung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: empören is [ɛmˈpøːʁən] while Empörung is [ɛmˈpøːʁʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53264, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empören is recorded at frequency rank #44,561, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛmˈpøːʁən]. Empörung is at rank #8,703, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛmˈpøːʁʊŋ].
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 53264, this pair ranks #1,064,783 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of empören vs Empörung
Shared letters: emnprö. Private to "empören": -. Private to "Empörung": gu.
"empören" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "Empörung" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empören" for "Empörung" ever safe?
Which is more common, "empören" or "Empörung"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "empören" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Empörung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,064,783 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empören" and "Empörung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empören vs empörten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,064,783 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.