entschuldigevsentschuldigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,533
“entschuldige” frequency rank
#5,259
“entschuldigen” frequency rank
14792
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entschuldige entschuldigen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs entschuldigen freisprechen von einer Schuld

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entschuldige and entschuldigen apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
entschuldige
13 ch
entschuldigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. entschuldige ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡə]) and entschuldigen ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “entschuldige” sits inside “entschuldigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entschuldige is recorded at frequency rank #9,533, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡə]. entschuldigen is at rank #5,259, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡn̩].

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 14792, this pair ranks #1,948,705 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entschuldige vs entschuldigen

Shared letters: cdeghilnstu. Private to "entschuldige": -. Private to "entschuldigen": -.

"entschuldige" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCV  ·  "entschuldigen" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entschuldigeenntschuldige · enstchuldige · entcshuldige · entscchuldige · entschhuldige · entschludige · entschudlige · entschulddige
  • entschuldigenenntschuldigen · enstchuldigen · entcshuldigen · entscchuldigen · entschhuldigen · entschludigen · entschudligen · entschulddigen

Frequency comparison

entschuldige#9,533
entschuldigen#5,259

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entschuldige" and "entschuldigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡə] versus [ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entschuldige" or "entschuldigen"?
"entschuldigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,259 in our German list, against #9,533 for "entschuldige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering entschuldige vs entschuldigen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entschuldige” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list