Which to use
“entfernen” is a verb and “externen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,516
- “entfernen” frequency rank
- #10,276
- “externen” frequency rank
- 13792
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entfernen | externen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | hinwegnehmen oder herausnehmen; dafür sorgen, dass jemand oder etwas nicht da ist | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs extern |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entfernen and externen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entfernen is [ɛntˈfɛʁnən] while externen is [ˌɛksˈtɛʁnən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entfernen is recorded at frequency rank #3,516, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfɛʁnən]. externen is at rank #10,276, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌɛksˈtɛʁnən].
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 13792, this pair ranks #1,955,668 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of entfernen vs externen
Shared letters: enrt. Private to "entfernen": f. Private to "externen": x.
"entfernen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "externen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entfernen" and "externen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "entfernen" or "externen"?
Remembering entfernen vs externen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “entfernen”; for an adjective, it's “externen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entfernen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable