EntschädigungvsEntschädigungenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#7,906
“Entschädigung” frequency rank
#31,027
“Entschädigungen” frequency rank
38933
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Entschädigung Entschädigungen
Definition Leistung als Ausgleich für einen zugefügten Schaden Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Entschädigung

Where the eye mixes Entschädigung and Entschädigungen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. Entschädigung runs 13 letters (VCCCCCVCVCVCC) against Entschädigungen's 15 (VCCCCCVCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
Entschädigung
15 ch
Entschädigungen

Why the eye confuses Entschädigung with Entschädigungen

A purely visual mix-up. Entschädigung ([ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋ]) and Entschädigungen ([ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Entschädigung” sits inside “Entschädigungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38933, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Entschädigung is recorded at frequency rank #7,906, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋ]. Entschädigungen is at rank #31,027, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋən].

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 38933, this pair ranks #1,550,712 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Entschädigung vs Entschädigungen

Shared letters: cdeghinstuä. Private to "Entschädigung": -. Private to "Entschädigungen": -.

"Entschädigung" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCCVCVCVCC  ·  "Entschädigungen" · 15 letters · shape VCCCCCVCVCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Entschädigung" for "Entschädigungen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋ] versus [ɛntˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Entschädigung" or "Entschädigungen" show up more?
"Entschädigung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,906 in our German list, against #31,027 for "Entschädigungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Entschädigung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Entschädigungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,550,712 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Entschädigung" and "Entschädigungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Entschädigungen vs Entschuldigungen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,550,712 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