Which to use
“Effekt” is a noun and “effektiv” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,109
- “Effekt” frequency rank
- #6,411
- “effektiv” frequency rank
- 9520
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Effekt | effektiv |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Wirkung, die einfach entsteht oder auch absichtlich herbeigeführt werden kann, wobei diese auch überraschend oder beeindruckend sein kann | die Fähigkeit besitzend, eine Aufgabe erfolgreich zu erledigen |
Where the eye mixes Effekt and effektiv
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Effekt vs effektiv
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Effekt is [ɛˈfɛkt] while effektiv is [ɛfɛkˈtiːf]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Effekt” sits inside “effektiv”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Effekt is recorded at frequency rank #3,109, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛˈfɛkt]. effektiv is at rank #6,411, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛfɛkˈtiːf].
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 9520, this pair ranks #1,979,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Effekt vs effektiv
Shared letters: efkt. Private to "Effekt": -. Private to "effektiv": iv.
"Effekt" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "effektiv" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Effekt" for "effektiv" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Effekt" or "effektiv" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Effekt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "effektiv" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,979,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Effekt" and "effektiv" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "effektiv vs effektives". 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 #1,979,557 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.