Which to use
“enttäuschen” is a verb and “enttäuschte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,405
- “enttäuschen” frequency rank
- #37,493
- “enttäuschte” frequency rank
- 53898
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | enttäuschen | enttäuschte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Hoffnung, einen Wunsch oder eine Erwartung nicht erfüllen oder zerstören | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs enttäuscht |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set enttäuschen and enttäuschte apart are highlighted. They share 10 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: enttäuschen is [ɛntˈtɔɪ̯ʃn̩] while enttäuschte is [ɛntˈtɔɪ̯ʃtə]. 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 53898, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
enttäuschen is recorded at frequency rank #16,405, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈtɔɪ̯ʃn̩]. enttäuschte is at rank #37,493, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛntˈtɔɪ̯ʃtə].
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 53898, this pair ranks #1,040,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of enttäuschen vs enttäuschte
Shared letters: cehnstuä. Private to "enttäuschen": -. Private to "enttäuschte": -.
"enttäuschen" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVVCCCVC · "enttäuschte" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVVCCCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "enttäuschen" and "enttäuschte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "enttäuschen" or "enttäuschte"?
Remembering enttäuschen vs enttäuschte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “enttäuschen”; for an adjective, it's “enttäuschte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “enttäuschen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable