Which to use
“ergänzt” is a verb and “ergänzte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,574
- “ergänzt” frequency rank
- #15,076
- “ergänzte” frequency rank
- 18650
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergänzt | ergänzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ergänzen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ergänzt |
Where the eye mixes ergänzt and ergänzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ergänzt runs 7 letters (VCCVCCC) against ergänzte's 8 (VCCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ergänzt with ergänzte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ergänzt is [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡st] while ergänzte is [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡stə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ergänzt” sits inside “ergänzte”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18650, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergänzt is recorded at frequency rank #3,574, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡st]. 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 18650, this pair ranks #1,916,240 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ergänzt vs ergänzte
Shared letters: egnrtzä. Private to "ergänzt": -. Private to "ergänzte": -.
"ergänzt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC · "ergänzte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ergänzt" and "ergänzte" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ergänzt" or "ergänzte" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ergänzt" 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 #1,916,240 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ergänzt" and "ergänzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergänze vs ergänzte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,916,240 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.