entferntvsentlehntWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: entfernt is a adjective, entlehnt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“entfernt” is an adjective and “entlehnt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#948
“entfernt” frequency rank
#39,310
“entlehnt” frequency rank
40258
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entfernt entlehnt
Definition weit weg gelegen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entlehnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entfernt and entlehnt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
entfernt
8 ch
entlehnt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entfernt is [ɛntˈfɛʁnt] while entlehnt is [ɛntˈleːnt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40258, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entfernt is recorded at frequency rank #948, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛntˈfɛʁnt]. entlehnt is at rank #39,310, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈleːnt].

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 40258, this pair ranks #1,513,638 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entfernt vs entlehnt

Shared letters: ent. Private to "entfernt": fr. Private to "entlehnt": hl.

"entfernt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC  ·  "entlehnt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entferntenfternt · enntfernt · entefrnt · entfenrt · entfernnt · entferntt · entferrnt · entfertn
  • entlehntenltehnt · enntlehnt · entelhnt · entlehhnt · entlehnnt · entlehntt · entlehtn · entlenht

Frequency comparison

entfernt#948
entlehnt#39,310

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entfernt" and "entlehnt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "entfernt" is an adjective and "entlehnt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "entfernt" or "entlehnt"?
"entfernt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #948 in our German list, against #39,310 for "entlehnt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering entfernt vs entlehnt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “entfernt”; for a verb, it's “entlehnt”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entfernt” 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