Which to use
“entfielen” and “enthielten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,109
- “entfielen” frequency rank
- #19,200
- “enthielten” frequency rank
- 42309
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entfielen | enthielten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs entfallen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs enthalten |
Where the eye mixes entfielen and enthielten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. entfielen runs 9 letters (VCCCVVCVC) against enthielten's 10 (VCCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses entfielen with enthielten
A purely visual mix-up. entfielen ([ɛntˈfiːlən]) and enthielten ([ɛntˈhiːltn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42309, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entfielen is recorded at frequency rank #23,109, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfiːlən]. enthielten is at rank #19,200, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈhiːltn̩].
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 42309, this pair ranks #1,453,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entfielen vs enthielten
Shared letters: eilnt. Private to "entfielen": f. Private to "enthielten": h.
"entfielen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC · "enthielten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- entfielen ← enftielen · enntfielen · entfeilen · entffielen · entfieeln · entfielenn · entfiellen · entfielne
- enthielten ← enhtielten · ennthielten · entheilten · enthhielten · enthieletn · enthiellten · enthieltenn · enthieltne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "entfielen" for "enthielten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "entfielen" vs "enthielten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "entfielen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "enthielten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,453,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entfielen" and "enthielten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entfiel vs entfielen". 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 #1,453,398 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.