entdeckenvsEntdeckungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: entdecken is a verb, Entdeckung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#3,810
“entdecken” frequency rank
#5,939
“Entdeckung” frequency rank
9749
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entdecken Entdeckung
Definition jemanden oder etwas erstmals finden, herausfinden Auffindung von etwas bisher Unbekanntem

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entdecken and Entdeckung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
entdecken
10 ch
Entdeckung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entdecken is [ɛntˈdɛkn̩] while Entdeckung is [ɛntˈdɛkʊŋ]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9749, 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]. Entdeckung is at rank #5,939, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈdɛkʊŋ].

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 9749, this pair ranks #1,978,476 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entdecken vs Entdeckung

Shared letters: cdeknt. Private to "entdecken": -. Private to "Entdeckung": gu.

"entdecken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "Entdeckung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entdeckenendtecken · enntdecken · entdceken · entddecken · entdeccken · entdecekn · entdeckenn · entdeckken
  • Entdeckungendteckung · enntdeckung · entdcekung · entddeckung · entdecckung · entdeckkung · entdecknug · entdeckugn

Frequency comparison

entdecken#3,810
Entdeckung#5,939

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entdecken" and "Entdeckung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "entdecken" is a verb and "Entdeckung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "entdecken" or "Entdeckung"?
"entdecken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,810 in our German list, against #5,939 for "Entdeckung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering entdecken vs Entdeckung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “entdecken”; for a noun, it's “Entdeckung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entdecken” 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