entschädigenvsentschädigtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“entschädigen” and “entschädigt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#33,023
“entschädigen” frequency rank
#25,114
“entschädigt” frequency rank
58137
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entschädigen entschädigt
Definition einen Schaden, dem man einem anderen zugefügt hat, ausgleichen oder wiedergutmachen (häufig dadurch, dass man einen angemessenen Geldbetrag zahlt) Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entschädigen

Where the eye mixes entschädigen and entschädigt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. entschädigen runs 12 letters (VCCCCCVCVCVC) against entschädigt's 11 (VCCCCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
entschädigen
11 ch
entschädigt

Visual trap between entschädigen and entschädigt

A purely visual mix-up. entschädigen ([ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩]) and entschädigt ([ɛntˈʃɛːdɪçt]) 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 58137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entschädigen is recorded at frequency rank #33,023, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩]. entschädigt is at rank #25,114, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃɛːdɪçt].

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 58137, this pair ranks #874,323 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entschädigen vs entschädigt

Shared letters: cdeghinstä. Private to "entschädigen": -. Private to "entschädigt": -.

"entschädigen" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVCVCVC  ·  "entschädigt" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "entschädigen" for "entschädigt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩] versus [ɛntˈʃɛːdɪçt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entschädigen" or "entschädigt"?
"entschädigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,114 in our German list, against #33,023 for "entschädigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "entschädigen" and "entschädigt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "entschädigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entschädigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #874,323 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entschädigen" and "entschädigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entschädigen vs Entschädigung". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #874,323 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