Which to use
“ergänzen” is a verb and “ergänzte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,312
- “ergänzen” frequency rank
- #15,076
- “ergänzte” frequency rank
- 22388
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergänzen | ergänzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zur Bereicherung hinzufügen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ergänzt |
Where the eye mixes ergänzen and ergänzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ergänzen (VCCVCCVC) and ergänzte (VCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses ergänzen with ergänzte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ergänzen is [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sn̩] while ergänzte is [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡stə]. 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 22388, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergänzen is recorded at frequency rank #7,312, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sn̩]. ergänzte is at rank #15,076, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡stə].
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 22388, this pair ranks #1,874,785 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ergänzen vs ergänzte
Shared letters: egnrzä. Private to "ergänzen": -. Private to "ergänzte": t.
"ergänzen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ergänzte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ergänzen" for "ergänzte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ergänzen" or "ergänzte"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ergänzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ergänzte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,874,785 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ergänzen" and "ergänzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergänze vs ergänzte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,874,785 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.