EntfaltungvsEntlastungTell them apart

Which to use

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

#18,527
“Entfaltung” frequency rank
#11,042
“Entlastung” frequency rank
29569
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Entfaltung Entlastung
Definition Vorgang, bei dem sich etwas entwickelt Befreiung/Freiheit von einem anstrengenden, bedrückenden oder unerwünschten Zustand

Where the eye mixes Entfaltung and Entlastung

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

10 ch
Entfaltung
10 ch
Entlastung

Why the eye confuses Entfaltung with Entlastung

A purely visual mix-up. Entfaltung ([ɛntˈfaltʊŋ]) and Entlastung ([ɛntˈlastʊŋ]) 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 29569, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Entfaltung is recorded at frequency rank #18,527, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈfaltʊŋ]. Entlastung is at rank #11,042, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈlastʊŋ].

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 29569, this pair ranks #1,764,387 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Entfaltung vs Entlastung

Shared letters: aeglntu. Private to "Entfaltung": f. Private to "Entlastung": s.

"Entfaltung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Entlastung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Entfaltung ← enftaltung · enntfaltung · entafltung · entfalltung · entfaltnug · entfalttung · entfaltugn · entfaltungg
  • Entlastung ← enltastung · enntlastung · entalstung · entlasstung · entlastnug · entlasttung · entlastugn · entlastungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Entfaltung" and "Entlastung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈfaltʊŋ] versus [ɛntˈlastʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Entfaltung" vs "Entlastung" - which ranks higher?
"Entlastung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,042 in our German list, against #18,527 for "Entfaltung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Entfaltung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Entlastung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,764,387 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Entfaltung" and "Entlastung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Entladung vs Entlastung". 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 #1,764,387 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