Which to use
“entschuldigen” is a verb and “entschuldigte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,259
- “entschuldigen” frequency rank
- #27,273
- “entschuldigte” frequency rank
- 32532
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entschuldigen | entschuldigte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | freisprechen von einer Schuld | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs entschuldigt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entschuldigen and entschuldigte apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entschuldigen is [ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡn̩] while entschuldigte is [ɛntˈʃʊldɪçtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32532, 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]. entschuldigte is at rank #27,273, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛntˈʃʊldɪçtə].
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 32532, this pair ranks #1,705,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of entschuldigen vs entschuldigte
Shared letters: cdeghilnstu. Private to "entschuldigen": -. Private to "entschuldigte": -.
"entschuldigen" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCVC · "entschuldigte" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- entschuldigen ← enntschuldigen · enstchuldigen · entcshuldigen · entscchuldigen · entschhuldigen · entschludigen · entschudligen · entschulddigen
- entschuldigte ← enntschuldigte · enstchuldigte · entcshuldigte · entscchuldigte · entschhuldigte · entschludigte · entschudligte · entschulddigte
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entschuldigen" and "entschuldigte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "entschuldigen" or "entschuldigte"?
Remembering entschuldigen vs entschuldigte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “entschuldigen”; for an adjective, it's “entschuldigte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entschuldigen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable