entschuldigenvsentschuldigtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,259
“entschuldigen” frequency rank
#6,920
“entschuldigt” frequency rank
12179
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entschuldigen entschuldigt
Definition freisprechen von einer Schuld Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entschuldigen

Where the eye mixes entschuldigen and entschuldigt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. entschuldigen runs 13 letters (VCCCCCVCCVCVC) against entschuldigt's 12 (VCCCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
entschuldigen
12 ch
entschuldigt

Look-alike desk: entschuldigen vs entschuldigt

A purely visual mix-up. entschuldigen ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡn̩]) and entschuldigt ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪçt]) 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 12179, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entschuldigen is recorded at frequency rank #5,259, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡn̩]. entschuldigt is at rank #6,920, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃʊldɪçt].

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 12179, this pair ranks #1,965,706 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entschuldigen vs entschuldigt

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

"entschuldigen" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCVC  ·  "entschuldigt" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entschuldigen ← enntschuldigen · enstchuldigen · entcshuldigen · entscchuldigen · entschhuldigen · entschludigen · entschudligen · entschulddigen
  • entschuldigt ← enntschuldigt · enstchuldigt · entcshuldigt · entscchuldigt · entschhuldigt · entschludigt · entschudligt · entschulddigt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "entschuldigen" for "entschuldigt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡn̩] versus [ɛntˈʃʊldɪçt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entschuldigen" or "entschuldigt"?
"entschuldigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,259 in our German list, against #6,920 for "entschuldigt". 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 "entschuldigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entschuldigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,965,706 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entschuldigen" and "entschuldigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entschädigen vs entschuldigen". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,965,706 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