ermutigenvsermutigendWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,114
“ermutigen” frequency rank
#44,575
“ermutigend” frequency rank
67689
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ermutigen ermutigend
Definition jemandem zureden, etwas zu tun Partizip Präsens des Verbs ermutigen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ermutigen and ermutigend apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
ermutigen
10 ch
ermutigend

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ermutigen ([ɛɐ̯ˈmuːtɪɡn̩]) and ermutigend ([ɛɐ̯ˈmuːtɪɡn̩t]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “ermutigen” sits inside “ermutigend”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67689, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ermutigen is recorded at frequency rank #23,114, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈmuːtɪɡn̩]. ermutigend is at rank #44,575, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈmuːtɪɡn̩t].

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 67689, this pair ranks #531,944 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ermutigen vs ermutigend

Shared letters: egimnrtu. Private to "ermutigen": -. Private to "ermutigend": d.

"ermutigen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC  ·  "ermutigend" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ermutigenemrutigen · ermmutigen · ermtuigen · ermuitgen · ermutgien · ermutiegn · ermutigenn · ermutiggen
  • ermutigendemrutigend · ermmutigend · ermtuigend · ermuitgend · ermutgiend · ermutiegnd · ermutigedn · ermutigendd

Frequency comparison

ermutigen#23,114
ermutigend#44,575

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ermutigen" and "ermutigend" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈmuːtɪɡn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈmuːtɪɡn̩t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ermutigen" or "ermutigend"?
"ermutigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,114 in our German list, against #44,575 for "ermutigend". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ermutigen vs ermutigend

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 “ermutigen” 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