adäquatvsadäquateWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,291
“adäquat” frequency rank
#28,503
“adäquate” frequency rank
54794
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature adäquat adäquate
Definition den gestellten Bedingungen angemessen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs adäquat

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
adäquat
8 ch
adäquate

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. adäquat ([adɛˈkvaːt]) and adäquate ([adɛˈkvaːtə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “adäquat” sits inside “adäquate”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54794, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

adäquat is recorded at frequency rank #26,291, classified as anadj, pronounced [adɛˈkvaːt]. adäquate is at rank #28,503, tagged as anadj, pronounced [adɛˈkvaːtə].

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 54794, this pair ranks #1,004,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of adäquat vs adäquate

Shared letters: adqtuä. Private to "adäquat": -. Private to "adäquate": e.

"adäquat" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVVC  ·  "adäquate" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVVCV

Frequency comparison

adäquat#26,291
adäquate#28,503

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "adäquat" and "adäquate" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([adɛˈkvaːt] versus [adɛˈkvaːtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "adäquat" or "adäquate"?
"adäquat" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,291 in our German list, against #28,503 for "adäquate". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering adäquat vs adäquate

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “adäquat” 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