entfallenvsentfaltenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#9,361
“entfallen” frequency rank
#10,643
“entfalten” frequency rank
20004
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entfallen entfalten
Definition aus der Hand fallen etwas Gefaltetes auspacken

Where the eye mixes entfallen and entfalten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. entfallen and entfalten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
entfallen
9 ch
entfalten

Visual trap between entfallen and entfalten

A purely visual mix-up. entfallen ([ɛntˈfalən]) 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 differ by a single letter - l in “entfallen” becomes t in “entfalten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20004, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entfallen is recorded at frequency rank #9,361, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfalən]. 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 20004, this pair ranks #1,902,314 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entfallen vs entfalten

Shared letters: aeflnt. Private to "entfallen": -. Private to "entfalten": -.

"entfallen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "entfalten" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entfallen ← enftallen · enntfallen · entafllen · entfaleln · entfalen · entfallenn · entfallne · entffallen
  • entfalten ← enftalten · enntfalten · entaflten · entfaletn · entfallten · entfaltenn · entfaltne · entfaltten

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "entfallen" and "entfalten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈfalən] versus [ɛntˈfaltn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entfallen" or "entfalten"?
"entfallen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,361 in our German list, against #10,643 for "entfalten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "entfallen" and "entfalten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "entfallen" 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 #1,902,314 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entfallen" and "entfalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entfalten vs entfaltete". 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 #1,902,314 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