entfachenvsentfachtWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#37,489
“entfachen” frequency rank
#25,983
“entfacht” frequency rank
63472
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entfachen entfacht
Definition ein Feuer oder einen Brand entstehen lassen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entfachen

Where the eye mixes entfachen and entfacht

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

9 ch
entfachen
8 ch
entfacht

Why the eye confuses entfachen with entfacht

A purely visual mix-up. entfachen ([ɛntˈfaxn̩]) and entfacht ([ɛntˈfaxt]) 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 63472, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entfachen is recorded at frequency rank #37,489, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfaxn̩]. entfacht is at rank #25,983, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfaxt].

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 63472, this pair ranks #675,623 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entfachen vs entfacht

Shared letters: acefhnt. Private to "entfachen": -. Private to "entfacht": -.

"entfachen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "entfacht" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entfachen ← enftachen · enntfachen · entafchen · entfacchen · entfacehn · entfachenn · entfachhen · entfachne
  • entfacht ← enftacht · enntfacht · entafcht · entfaccht · entfachht · entfachtt · entfacth · entfahct

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "entfachen" for "entfacht" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈfaxn̩] versus [ɛntˈfaxt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entfachen" or "entfacht"?
"entfacht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,983 in our German list, against #37,489 for "entfachen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "entfachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entfacht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #675,623 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entfachen" and "entfacht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entfachen vs entfalten". 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 #675,623 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