Which to use
“entgangen” and “ergangen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,688
- “entgangen” frequency rank
- #24,698
- “ergangen” frequency rank
- 41386
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entgangen | ergangen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entgehen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ergehen |
Where the eye mixes entgangen and ergangen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. entgangen runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against ergangen's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses entgangen with ergangen
A purely visual mix-up. entgangen ([ɛntˈɡaŋən]) and ergangen ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡaŋən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41386, 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]. ergangen is at rank #24,698, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡaŋən].
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 41386, this pair ranks #1,481,004 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entgangen vs ergangen
Shared letters: aegn. Private to "entgangen": t. Private to "ergangen": r.
"entgangen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "ergangen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "entgangen" and "ergangen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "entgangen" or "ergangen"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "entgangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ergangen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,481,004 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entgangen" and "ergangen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergangen vs ergänze". 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 #1,481,004 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.