Which to use
“unfähig” and “unfähigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,957
- “unfähig” frequency rank
- #47,068
- “unfähigen” frequency rank
- 58025
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unfähig | unfähigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht die nötigen Kenntnisse oder Fertigkeiten für die Erfüllung einer Aufgabe habend; einer Tätigkeit nicht gewachsen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs unfähig |
Where the eye mixes unfähig and unfähigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. unfähig runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against unfähigen's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: unfähig vs unfähigen
A purely visual mix-up. unfähig ([ˈʊnˌfɛːɪç]) and unfähigen ([ˈʊnˌfɛːɪɡn̩]) 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) - “unfähig” sits inside “unfähigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58025, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unfähig is recorded at frequency rank #10,957, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnˌfɛːɪç]. unfähigen is at rank #47,068, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnˌfɛːɪɡn̩].
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 58025, this pair ranks #878,629 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unfähig vs unfähigen
Shared letters: fghinuä. Private to "unfähig": -. Private to "unfähigen": e.
"unfähig" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "unfähigen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unfähig" for "unfähigen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "unfähig" vs "unfähigen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "unfähig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unfähigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #878,629 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unfähig" and "unfähigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unfähige vs unfähigen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #878,629 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.