EntschuldigungvsEntschuldigungenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,115
“Entschuldigung” frequency rank
#40,508
“Entschuldigungen” frequency rank
44623
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Entschuldigung Entschuldigungen
Definition Äußerung des Bedauerns über einen eigenen Fehler Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Entschuldigung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Entschuldigung and Entschuldigungen apart are highlighted. They share 14 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

14 ch
Entschuldigung
16 ch
Entschuldigungen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Entschuldigung ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡʊŋ]) and Entschuldigungen ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡʊŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Entschuldigung” sits inside “Entschuldigungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44623, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Entschuldigung is recorded at frequency rank #4,115, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡʊŋ]. Entschuldigungen is at rank #40,508, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡʊŋən].

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 44623, this pair ranks #1,380,165 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Entschuldigung vs Entschuldigungen

Shared letters: cdeghilnstu. Private to "Entschuldigung": -. Private to "Entschuldigungen": -.

"Entschuldigung" · 14 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCVCC  ·  "Entschuldigungen" · 16 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Entschuldigungenntschuldigung · enstchuldigung · entcshuldigung · entscchuldigung · entschhuldigung · entschludigung · entschudligung · entschulddigung
  • Entschuldigungenenntschuldigungen · enstchuldigungen · entcshuldigungen · entscchuldigungen · entschhuldigungen · entschludigungen · entschudligungen · entschulddigungen

Frequency comparison

Entschuldigung#4,115
Entschuldigungen#40,508

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Entschuldigung" and "Entschuldigungen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡʊŋ] versus [ɛntˈʃʊldɪɡʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Entschuldigung" or "Entschuldigungen"?
"Entschuldigung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,115 in our German list, against #40,508 for "Entschuldigungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Entschuldigung vs Entschuldigungen

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 “Entschuldigung” 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