EngelvsEntgeltWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#2,541
“Engel” frequency rank
#20,569
“Entgelt” frequency rank
23110
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Engel Entgelt
Definition (zumeist mit Flügeln gedachtes) überirdisches Wesen, das als Bote Gottes fungiert die in einem Vertrag vereinbarte Gegenleistung

Where the eye mixes Engel and Entgelt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Engel runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against Entgelt's 7 (VCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Engel
7 ch
Entgelt

Visual trap between Engel and Entgelt

A purely visual mix-up. Engel ([ˈɛŋl̩]) and Entgelt ([ɛntˈɡɛlt]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23110, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Engel is recorded at frequency rank #2,541, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛŋl̩]. Entgelt is at rank #20,569, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈɡɛlt].

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 23110, this pair ranks #1,865,667 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Engel vs Entgelt

Shared letters: egln. Private to "Engel": -. Private to "Entgelt": t.

"Engel" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Entgelt" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Engel ← egnel · enegl · engell · enggel · engle · enngel · negel
  • Entgelt ← engtelt · enntgelt · enteglt · entgellt · entgeltt · entgetl · entggelt · entglet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Engel" for "Entgelt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛŋl̩] versus [ɛntˈɡɛlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Engel" vs "Entgelt" - which ranks higher?
"Engel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,541 in our German list, against #20,569 for "Entgelt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Engel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Entgelt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,865,667 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Engel" and "Entgelt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Eigelb vs Engel". 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 #1,865,667 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list