Which to use
“igen” is an adverb and “ihnen” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,824
- “igen” frequency rank
- #170
- “ihnen” frequency rank
- 38994
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | igen | ihnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ja | Personalpronomen 3. Person Plural Dativ |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set igen and ihnen apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: igen is [ˈiɡɛn] while ihnen is [ˈiːnən]. 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 (adverb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38994, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
igen is recorded at frequency rank #38,824, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈiɡɛn]. ihnen is at rank #170, tagged as apron, pronounced [ˈiːnən].
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 38994, this pair ranks #1,549,061 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of igen vs ihnen
Shared letters: ein. Private to "igen": g. Private to "ihnen": h.
"igen" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "ihnen" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "igen" and "ihnen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "igen" or "ihnen"?
Remembering igen vs ihnen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “igen”; for a pronoun, it's “ihnen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “igen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable