Which to use
“entfachen” and “entfalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,489
- “entfachen” frequency rank
- #10,643
- “entfalten” frequency rank
- 48132
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entfachen | entfalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Feuer oder einen Brand entstehen lassen | etwas Gefaltetes auspacken |
Where the eye mixes entfachen and entfalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. entfachen and entfalten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: entfachen vs entfalten
A purely visual mix-up. entfachen ([ɛntˈfaxn̩]) and entfalten ([ɛntˈfaltn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48132, 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]. entfalten is at rank #10,643, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfaltn̩].
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 48132, this pair ranks #1,259,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entfachen vs entfalten
Shared letters: aefnt. Private to "entfachen": ch. Private to "entfalten": l.
"entfachen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "entfalten" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "entfachen" and "entfalten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "entfachen" vs "entfalten" - which ranks higher?
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 "entfalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,259,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entfachen" and "entfalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entfachen vs entfacht". 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 #1,259,672 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.