Which to use
“entmutigen” and “ermutigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,507
- “entmutigen” frequency rank
- #23,114
- “ermutigen” frequency rank
- 63621
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entmutigen | ermutigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Mut nehmen | jemandem zureden, etwas zu tun |
Where the eye mixes entmutigen and ermutigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between entmutigen and ermutigen
A purely visual mix-up. entmutigen ([ɛntˈmuːtɪɡn̩]) and ermutigen ([ɛɐ̯ˈmuːtɪɡn̩]) 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 63621, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entmutigen is recorded at frequency rank #40,507, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈmuːtɪɡn̩]. ermutigen is at rank #23,114, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈmuːtɪɡn̩].
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 63621, this pair ranks #670,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entmutigen vs ermutigen
Shared letters: egimntu. Private to "entmutigen": -. Private to "ermutigen": r.
"entmutigen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCVCVC · "ermutigen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- entmutigen ← enmtutigen · enntmutigen · entmmutigen · entmtuigen · entmuitgen · entmutgien · entmutiegn · entmutigenn
- ermutigen ← emrutigen · ermmutigen · ermtuigen · ermuitgen · ermutgien · ermutiegn · ermutigenn · ermutiggen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entmutigen" and "ermutigen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "entmutigen" vs "ermutigen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "entmutigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ermutigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #670,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entmutigen" and "ermutigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ermutigen vs ermutigte". 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 #670,271 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.