Which to use
“entgangen” is a verb and “entgegen” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,688
- “entgangen” frequency rank
- #1,724
- “entgegen” frequency rank
- 18412
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entgangen | entgegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entgehen | mit Dativ (seltener Genitiv,Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod.Der Spiegelentgegen.Variantengrammatik des Standarddeutschen(aktualisierter Artikel. mit Verbreitungsgrafiken); vergl.entgegen + Dativ/Genitiv. nicht im Einklang mit etwas; zuwider |
Where the eye mixes entgangen and entgegen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. entgangen runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against entgegen's 8 (VCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: entgangen vs entgegen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entgangen is [ɛntˈɡaŋən] while entgegen is [ɛntˈɡeːɡn̩]. 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 preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entgangen is recorded at frequency rank #16,688, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈɡaŋən]. entgegen is at rank #1,724, tagged as aprep, pronounced [ɛntˈɡeːɡn̩].
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 18412, this pair ranks #1,918,477 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of entgangen vs entgegen
Shared letters: egnt. Private to "entgangen": a. Private to "entgegen": -.
"entgangen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "entgegen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entgangen" and "entgegen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "entgangen" or "entgegen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "entgangen" and "entgegen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "entgangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "entgegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,918,477 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entgangen" and "entgegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Eingängen vs entgangen". 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 #1,918,477 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.