Which to use
“eröffnen” is a verb and “eröffnete” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,586
- “eröffnen” frequency rank
- #6,789
- “eröffnete” frequency rank
- 12375
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eröffnen | eröffnete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas öffentlich zugänglich machen, für Publikum aufmachen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs eröffnet |
Where the eye mixes eröffnen and eröffnete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. eröffnen runs 8 letters (VCVCCCVC) against eröffnete's 9 (VCVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between eröffnen and eröffnete
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eröffnen is [ɛɐ̯ˈʔœfnən] while eröffnete is [ɛɐ̯ˈʔœfnətə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12375, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eröffnen is recorded at frequency rank #5,586, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʔœfnən]. eröffnete is at rank #6,789, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʔœfnətə].
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 12375, this pair ranks #1,964,543 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eröffnen vs eröffnete
Shared letters: efnrö. Private to "eröffnen": -. Private to "eröffnete": t.
"eröffnen" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCCVC · "eröffnete" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "eröffnen" for "eröffnete" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "eröffnen" or "eröffnete" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "eröffnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eröffnete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,964,543 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eröffnen" and "eröffnete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eröffne vs eröffnete". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,964,543 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.