entschärfenvsentschärftConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#23,497
“entschärfen” frequency rank
#26,848
“entschärft” frequency rank
50345
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entschärfen entschärft
Definition die Vorrichtung zum Zünden bei Sprengkörpern entfernen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entschärfen

Where the eye mixes entschärfen and entschärft

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. entschärfen runs 11 letters (VCCCCCVCCVC) against entschärft's 10 (VCCCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
entschärfen
10 ch
entschärft

Why the eye confuses entschärfen with entschärft

A purely visual mix-up. entschärfen ([ɛntˈʃɛʁfn̩]) and entschärft ([ɛntˈʃɛʁft]) 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 50345, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entschärfen is recorded at frequency rank #23,497, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃɛʁfn̩]. entschärft is at rank #26,848, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃɛʁft].

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 50345, this pair ranks #1,177,259 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entschärfen vs entschärft

Shared letters: cefhnrstä. Private to "entschärfen": -. Private to "entschärft": -.

"entschärfen" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVC  ·  "entschärft" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entschärfen" and "entschärft" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃɛʁfn̩] versus [ɛntˈʃɛʁft]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entschärfen" or "entschärft"?
"entschärfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,497 in our German list, against #26,848 for "entschärft". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "entschärfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entschärft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,177,259 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics

Confusion rank #1,177,259 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