eröffnenvsEröffnungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: eröffnen is a verb, Eröffnung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“eröffnen” is a verb and “Eröffnung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,586
“eröffnen” frequency rank
#3,439
“Eröffnung” frequency rank
9025
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eröffnen Eröffnung
Definition etwas öffentlich zugänglich machen, für Publikum aufmachen das erstmalige, einmalige Öffnen einer Sache, eines Vorganges, eines Prozesses, der Beginn eines Vorganges, eines Prozesses

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
eröffnen
9 ch
Eröffnung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eröffnen is [ɛɐ̯ˈʔœfnən] while Eröffnung is [ɛɐ̯ˈʔœfnʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9025, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

eröffnen is recorded at frequency rank #5,586, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʔœfnən]. Eröffnung is at rank #3,439, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʔœfnʊŋ].

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 9025, this pair ranks #1,981,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of eröffnen vs Eröffnung

Shared letters: efnrö. Private to "eröffnen": -. Private to "Eröffnung": gu.

"eröffnen" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCCVC  ·  "Eröffnung" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCCVCC

Frequency comparison

eröffnen#5,586
Eröffnung#3,439

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "eröffnen" and "Eröffnung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "eröffnen" is a verb and "Eröffnung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "eröffnen" or "Eröffnung"?
"Eröffnung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,439 in our German list, against #5,586 for "eröffnen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering eröffnen vs Eröffnung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “eröffnen”; for a noun, it's “Eröffnung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “eröffnen” 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