entsprächevsentsprachenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,312
“entspräche” frequency rank
#25,985
“entsprachen” frequency rank
65297
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entspräche entsprachen
Definition 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs entsprechen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs entsprechen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entspräche and entsprachen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
entspräche
11 ch
entsprachen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. entspräche ([ɛntˈʃpʁɛːçə]) and entsprachen ([ɛntˈʃpʁaːxn̩]) 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 65297, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entspräche is recorded at frequency rank #39,312, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃpʁɛːçə]. entsprachen is at rank #25,985, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃpʁaːxn̩].

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 65297, this pair ranks #611,762 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entspräche vs entsprachen

Shared letters: cehnprst. Private to "entspräche": ä. Private to "entsprachen": a.

"entspräche" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCV  ·  "entsprachen" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entsprachenenntsprachen · enstprachen · entpsrachen · entsparchen · entspprachen · entspracchen · entspracehn · entsprachenn

Frequency comparison

entspräche#39,312
entsprachen#25,985

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entspräche" and "entsprachen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈʃpʁɛːçə] versus [ɛntˈʃpʁaːxn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entspräche" or "entsprachen"?
"entsprachen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,985 in our German list, against #39,312 for "entspräche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering entspräche vs entsprachen

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 “entspräche” 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