ErfindungvsErfindungenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,414
“Erfindung” frequency rank
#18,528
“Erfindungen” frequency rank
24942
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erfindung Erfindungen
Definition besondere, nicht auf der Hand liegende, materielle Konstrukte oder Verfahren, die neue und nützliche Anwendungen ermöglichen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Erfindung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Erfindung and Erfindungen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Erfindung
11 ch
Erfindungen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Erfindung ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndʊŋ]) and Erfindungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndʊŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Erfindung” sits inside “Erfindungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24942, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erfindung is recorded at frequency rank #6,414, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndʊŋ]. Erfindungen is at rank #18,528, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndʊŋən].

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 24942, this pair ranks #1,840,400 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erfindung vs Erfindungen

Shared letters: defginru. Private to "Erfindung": -. Private to "Erfindungen": -.

"Erfindung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC  ·  "Erfindungen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Erfindungefrindung · erffindung · erfidnung · erfinddung · erfindnug · erfindugn · erfindungg · erfindunng
  • Erfindungenefrindungen · erffindungen · erfidnungen · erfinddungen · erfindnugen · erfindugnen · erfindunegn · erfindungenn

Frequency comparison

Erfindung#6,414
Erfindungen#18,528

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Erfindung" and "Erfindungen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndʊŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfɪndʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Erfindung" or "Erfindungen"?
"Erfindung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,414 in our German list, against #18,528 for "Erfindungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Erfindung vs Erfindungen

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 “Erfindung” 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