ErgänzungvsErgänzungenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,292
“Ergänzung” frequency rank
#17,278
“Ergänzungen” frequency rank
23570
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ergänzung Ergänzungen
Definition Akt der Hinzufügung fehlender Elemente zur Vervollständigung einer bestehenden Menge Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Ergänzung

Where the eye mixes Ergänzung and Ergänzungen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Ergänzung runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVCC) against Ergänzungen's 11 (VCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Ergänzung
11 ch
Ergänzungen

Visual trap between Ergänzung and Ergänzungen

A purely visual mix-up. Ergänzung ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sʊŋ]) and Ergänzungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sʊŋən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Ergänzung” sits inside “Ergänzungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23570, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ergänzung is recorded at frequency rank #6,292, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sʊŋ]. Ergänzungen is at rank #17,278, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sʊŋən].

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 23570, this pair ranks #1,859,526 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ergänzung vs Ergänzungen

Shared letters: egnruzä. Private to "Ergänzung": -. Private to "Ergänzungen": -.

"Ergänzung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC  ·  "Ergänzungen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Ergänzung" and "Ergänzungen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sʊŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ergänzung" or "Ergänzungen"?
"Ergänzung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,292 in our German list, against #17,278 for "Ergänzungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "Ergänzung" and "Ergänzungen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Ergänzung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ergänzungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,859,526 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Ergänzung" and "Ergänzungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergänzenden vs Ergänzungen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,859,526 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list