entrinnenvsertrinkenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,609
“entrinnen” frequency rank
#13,816
“ertrinken” frequency rank
60425
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entrinnen ertrinken
Definition eine bedrohliche oder unangenehme Situation verlassen, hinter sich lassen, vermeiden im Wasser untergehen und dadurch zu Tode kommen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entrinnen and ertrinken apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
entrinnen
9 ch
ertrinken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. entrinnen ([ɛntˈʁɪnən]) and ertrinken ([ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɪŋkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60425, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entrinnen is recorded at frequency rank #46,609, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʁɪnən]. ertrinken is at rank #13,816, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɪŋkn̩].

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 60425, this pair ranks #787,499 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entrinnen vs ertrinken

Shared letters: einrt. Private to "entrinnen": -. Private to "ertrinken": k.

"entrinnen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "ertrinken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entrinnenenntrinnen · enrtinnen · entirnnen · entrinen · entrinenn · entrinnenn · entrinnne · entrninen
  • ertrinkenerrtinken · errtrinken · ertirnken · ertriknen · ertrinekn · ertrinkenn · ertrinkken · ertrinkne

Frequency comparison

entrinnen#46,609
ertrinken#13,816

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entrinnen" and "ertrinken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʁɪnən] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɪŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entrinnen" or "ertrinken"?
"ertrinken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,816 in our German list, against #46,609 for "entrinnen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering entrinnen vs ertrinken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entrinnen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list