Which to use
“entzünden” is a verb and “entzündeten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,628
- “entzünden” frequency rank
- #49,626
- “entzündeten” frequency rank
- 78254
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entzünden | entzündeten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Brand setzen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs entzündet |
Where the eye mixes entzünden and entzündeten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. entzünden runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against entzündeten's 11 (VCCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between entzünden and entzündeten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entzünden is [ɛntˈt͡sʏndn̩] while entzündeten is [ɛntˈt͡sʏndətn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78254, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entzünden is recorded at frequency rank #28,628, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈt͡sʏndn̩]. entzündeten is at rank #49,626, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛntˈt͡sʏndətn̩].
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 78254, this pair ranks #242,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of entzünden vs entzündeten
Shared letters: dentzü. Private to "entzünden": -. Private to "entzündeten": -.
"entzünden" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "entzündeten" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "entzünden" and "entzündeten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "entzünden" or "entzündeten" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "entzünden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "entzündeten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #242,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entzünden" and "entzündeten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entzündete vs entzündeten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #242,427 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.