entfernevsentfernenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,272
“entferne” frequency rank
#3,516
“entfernen” frequency rank
30788
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entferne entfernen
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs entfernen hinwegnehmen oder herausnehmen; dafür sorgen, dass jemand oder etwas nicht da ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entferne and entfernen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
entferne
9 ch
entfernen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. entferne ([ɛntˈfɛʁnə]) and entfernen ([ɛntˈfɛʁnən]) 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 extra letter(s) - “entferne” sits inside “entfernen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30788, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entferne is recorded at frequency rank #27,272, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfɛʁnə]. entfernen is at rank #3,516, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfɛʁnən].

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 30788, this pair ranks #1,741,055 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entferne vs entfernen

Shared letters: efnrt. Private to "entferne": -. Private to "entfernen": -.

"entferne" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV  ·  "entfernen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entferneenfterne · enntferne · entefrne · entfenre · entferen · entferrne · entfferne · entfrene
  • entfernenenfternen · enntfernen · entefrnen · entfenren · entferenn · entfernenn · entfernne · entfernnen

Frequency comparison

entferne#27,272
entfernen#3,516

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entferne" and "entfernen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈfɛʁnə] versus [ɛntˈfɛʁnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entferne" or "entfernen"?
"entfernen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,516 in our German list, against #27,272 for "entferne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering entferne vs entfernen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entferne” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list