entdeckenvsentdecktenWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: entdecken is a verb, entdeckten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“entdecken” is a verb and “entdeckten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,810
“entdecken” frequency rank
#11,858
“entdeckten” frequency rank
15668
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entdecken entdeckten
Definition jemanden oder etwas erstmals finden, herausfinden Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs entdeckt

Where the eye mixes entdecken and entdeckten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

9 ch
entdecken
10 ch
entdeckten

Why the eye confuses entdecken with entdeckten

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entdecken is [ɛntˈdɛkn̩] while entdeckten is [ɛntˈdɛktn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15668, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entdecken is recorded at frequency rank #3,810, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈdɛkn̩]. entdeckten is at rank #11,858, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛntˈdɛktn̩].

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 15668, this pair ranks #1,942,073 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entdecken vs entdeckten

Shared letters: cdeknt. Private to "entdecken": -. Private to "entdeckten": -.

"entdecken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "entdeckten" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entdeckenendtecken · enntdecken · entdceken · entddecken · entdeccken · entdecekn · entdeckenn · entdeckken
  • entdecktenendteckten · enntdeckten · entdcekten · entddeckten · entdecckten · entdecketn · entdeckkten · entdecktenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entdecken" and "entdeckten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "entdecken" is a verb and "entdeckten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "entdecken" vs "entdeckten" - which ranks higher?
"entdecken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,810 in our German list, against #11,858 for "entdeckten". 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 "entdecken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entdeckten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,942,073 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entdecken" and "entdeckten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entdecken vs entzücken". 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 #1,942,073 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