entsendenvsentzündenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,703
“entsenden” frequency rank
#28,628
“entzünden” frequency rank
56331
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entsenden entzünden
Definition mit einem Auftrag auf den Weg oder in ein Gremium schicken in Brand setzen

Where the eye mixes entsenden and entzünden

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. entsenden and entzünden follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
entsenden
9 ch
entzünden

Why the eye confuses entsenden with entzünden

A purely visual mix-up. entsenden ([ɛntˈzɛndn̩]) and entzünden ([ɛntˈt͡sʏndn̩]) 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 56331, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entsenden is recorded at frequency rank #27,703, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈzɛndn̩]. entzünden is at rank #28,628, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈt͡sʏndn̩].

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 56331, this pair ranks #944,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entsenden vs entzünden

Shared letters: dent. Private to "entsenden": s. Private to "entzünden": zü.

"entsenden" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "entzünden" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entsenden ← enntsenden · enstenden · entesnden · entsednen · entsendden · entsendenn · entsendne · entsenedn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entsenden" and "entzünden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈzɛndn̩] versus [ɛntˈt͡sʏndn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "entsenden" or "entzünden" show up more?
"entsenden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,703 in our German list, against #28,628 for "entzünden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "entsenden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entzünden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #944,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entsenden" and "entzünden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entzünden vs entzündeten". 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 #944,448 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