entführenvsentführtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#18,223
“entführen” frequency rank
#8,046
“entführt” frequency rank
26269
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entführen entführt
Definition jemanden (oder etwas in dem sich Personen befinden) heimlich oder gewaltsam wegbringen, verschleppen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entführen

Where the eye mixes entführen and entführt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. entführen runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against entführt's 8 (VCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
entführen
8 ch
entführt

Why the eye confuses entführen with entführt

A purely visual mix-up. entführen ([ɛntˈfyːʁən]) and entführt ([ɛntˈfyːɐ̯t]) 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 26269, 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]. entführt is at rank #8,046, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfyːɐ̯t].

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 26269, this pair ranks #1,820,661 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entführen vs entführt

Shared letters: efhnrtü. Private to "entführen": -. Private to "entführt": -.

"entführen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "entführt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entführen" and "entführt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈfyːʁən] versus [ɛntˈfyːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "entführen" vs "entführt" - which ranks higher?
"entführt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,046 in our German list, against #18,223 for "entführen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "entführen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entführt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,820,661 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entführen" and "entführt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entbehren vs entführen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,820,661 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list