ergänztenvserkanntenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#42,464
“ergänzten” frequency rank
#18,874
“erkannten” frequency rank
61338
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ergänzten erkannten
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ergänzt Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erkannt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ergänzten and erkannten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
ergänzten
9 ch
erkannten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ergänzten ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡stn̩]) and erkannten ([ɛɐ̯ˈkantn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ergänzten is recorded at frequency rank #42,464, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡stn̩]. erkannten is at rank #18,874, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkantn̩].

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 61338, this pair ranks #753,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ergänzten vs erkannten

Shared letters: enrt. Private to "ergänzten": gzä. Private to "erkannten": ak.

"ergänzten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC  ·  "erkannten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erkanntenekrannten · eraknnten · erkannetn · erkanntenn · erkanntne · erkanntten · erkanten · erkantnen

Frequency comparison

ergänzten#42,464
erkannten#18,874

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ergänzten" and "erkannten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡stn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈkantn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ergänzten" or "erkannten"?
"erkannten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,874 in our German list, against #42,464 for "ergänzten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ergänzten vs erkannten

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 “ergänzten” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list