opfernvsOpfersWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,729
“opfern” frequency rank
#11,494
“Opfers” frequency rank
16223
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature opfern Opfers
Definition etwas als Opfer darbringen; etwas einem Gott während einer Zeremonie geben Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Opfer

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set opfern and Opfers apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
opfern
6 ch
Opfers

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: opfern is [ˈɔp͡fɐn] while Opfers is [ˈɔp͡fɐs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “opfern” becomes s in “Opfers”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

opfern is recorded at frequency rank #4,729, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɔp͡fɐn]. Opfers is at rank #11,494, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɔp͡fɐs].

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 16223, this pair ranks #1,937,578 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of opfern vs Opfers

Shared letters: efopr. Private to "opfern": n. Private to "Opfers": s.

"opfern" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Opfers" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • opfernofpern · opefrn · opfenr · opfernn · opferrn · opffern · opfren · oppfern
  • Opfersofpers · opefrs · opferrs · opferss · opfesr · opffers · opfres · oppfers

Frequency comparison

opfern#4,729
Opfers#11,494

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "opfern" and "Opfers" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "opfern" is a verb and "Opfers" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "opfern" or "Opfers"?
"opfern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,729 in our German list, against #11,494 for "Opfers". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering opfern vs Opfers

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “opfern”; for a noun, it's “Opfers”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “opfern” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list