Which to use
“entführen” is a verb and “Entführer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,223
- “entführen” frequency rank
- #29,555
- “Entführer” frequency rank
- 47778
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entführen | Entführer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden (oder etwas in dem sich Personen befinden) heimlich oder gewaltsam wegbringen, verschleppen | jemand, der andere Menschen gegen ihren Willen an einen anderen Ort bringt, um dadurch ein Lösegeld zu erpressen |
Where the eye mixes entführen and Entführer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. entführen and Entführer follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses entführen with Entführer
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entführen is [ɛntˈfyːʁən] while Entführer is [ɛntˈfyːʁɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “entführen” becomes r in “Entführer”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47778, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entführen is recorded at frequency rank #18,223, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfyːʁən]. Entführer is at rank #29,555, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈfyːʁɐ].
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 47778, this pair ranks #1,272,340 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entführen vs Entführer
Shared letters: efhnrtü. Private to "entführen": -. Private to "Entführer": -.
"entführen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "Entführer" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "entführen" and "Entführer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "entführen" or "Entführer"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "entführen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Entführer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,272,340 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entführen" and "Entführer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Entführer vs entführten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,272,340 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.