Which to use
“entführen” is a verb and “entführte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,223
- “entführen” frequency rank
- #30,027
- “entführte” frequency rank
- 48250
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entführen | entführte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden (oder etwas in dem sich Personen befinden) heimlich oder gewaltsam wegbringen, verschleppen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs entführt |
Where the eye mixes entführen and entführte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. entführen (VCCCVCCVC) and entführte (VCCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: entführen vs entführte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entführen is [ɛntˈfyːʁən] while entführte is [ɛntˈfyːɐ̯tə]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48250, 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]. entführte is at rank #30,027, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛntˈfyːɐ̯tə].
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 48250, this pair ranks #1,255,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entführen vs entführte
Shared letters: efhnrtü. Private to "entführen": -. Private to "entführte": -.
"entführen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "entführte" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entführen" and "entführte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "entführen" or "entführte"?
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 "entführte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,255,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entführen" and "entführte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einführte vs entführte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,255,414 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.