entschlüsselnvsentschlüsseltConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#29,107
“entschlüsseln” frequency rank
#36,291
“entschlüsselt” frequency rank
65398
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entschlüsseln entschlüsselt
Definition eine verschlüsselte Nachricht mit Hilfe eines Codes/Schlüssels verständlich machen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entschlüsseln

Where the eye mixes entschlüsseln and entschlüsselt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. entschlüsseln and entschlüsselt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCCCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

13 ch
entschlüsseln
13 ch
entschlüsselt

Why the eye confuses entschlüsseln with entschlüsselt

A purely visual mix-up. entschlüsseln ([ɛntˈʃlʏsl̩n]) and entschlüsselt ([ɛntˈʃlʏsl̩t]) 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 a single letter - n in “entschlüsseln” becomes t in “entschlüsselt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65398, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entschlüsseln is recorded at frequency rank #29,107, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃlʏsl̩n]. entschlüsselt is at rank #36,291, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃlʏsl̩t].

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 65398, this pair ranks #608,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entschlüsseln vs entschlüsselt

Shared letters: cehlnstü. Private to "entschlüsseln": -. Private to "entschlüsselt": -.

"entschlüsseln" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCCCVCCVCC  ·  "entschlüsselt" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCCCVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "entschlüsseln" and "entschlüsselt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃlʏsl̩n] versus [ɛntˈʃlʏsl̩t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "entschlüsseln" vs "entschlüsselt" - which ranks higher?
"entschlüsseln" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,107 in our German list, against #36,291 for "entschlüsselt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "entschlüsseln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entschlüsselt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #608,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entschlüsseln" and "entschlüsselt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entschlossen vs entschlüsseln". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #608,297 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