FunktionärenvsFunktionenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#38,755
“Funktionären” frequency rank
#3,116
“Funktionen” frequency rank
41871
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Funktionären Funktionen
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Funktionär Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Funktion

Where the eye mixes Funktionären and Funktionen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Funktionären runs 12 letters (CVCCCVVCVCVC) against Funktionen's 10 (CVCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
Funktionären
10 ch
Funktionen

Why the eye confuses Funktionären with Funktionen

A purely visual mix-up. Funktionären ([fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈnɛːʁən]) and Funktionen ([fʊŋkˈt͡si̯oːnən]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41871, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Funktionären is recorded at frequency rank #38,755, classified as anoun, pronounced [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈnɛːʁən]. Funktionen is at rank #3,116, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fʊŋkˈt͡si̯oːnən].

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 41871, this pair ranks #1,466,567 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Funktionären vs Funktionen

Shared letters: efiknotu. Private to "Funktionären": rä. Private to "Funktionen": -.

"Funktionären" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCVC  ·  "Funktionen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Funktionen ← ffunktionen · fnuktionen · fukntionen · funkitonen · funkktionen · funktinoen · funktioenn · funktionenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Funktionären" for "Funktionen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈnɛːʁən] versus [fʊŋkˈt͡si̯oːnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Funktionären" vs "Funktionen" - which ranks higher?
"Funktionen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,116 in our German list, against #38,755 for "Funktionären". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Funktionären" and "Funktionen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Funktionären" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Funktionen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,466,567 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Funktionären" and "Funktionen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "funktionalen vs Funktionären". 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 #1,466,567 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