intelligentvsIntelligenzWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: intelligent is a adjective, Intelligenz is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“intelligent” is an adjective and “Intelligenz” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,397
“intelligent” frequency rank
#4,523
“Intelligenz” frequency rank
12920
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature intelligent Intelligenz
Definition geistig begabt, von guter Auffassungsgabe, einsichtig, klug, Beziehungen kennend kognitive Leistungsfähigkeit

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set intelligent and Intelligenz apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
intelligent
11 ch
Intelligenz

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: intelligent is [ɪntɛliˈɡɛnt] while Intelligenz is [ɪntɛliˈɡɛnt͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - t in “intelligent” becomes z in “Intelligenz”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

intelligent is recorded at frequency rank #8,397, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɪntɛliˈɡɛnt]. Intelligenz is at rank #4,523, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɪntɛliˈɡɛnt͡s].

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 12920, this pair ranks #1,961,215 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of intelligent vs Intelligenz

Shared letters: egilnt. Private to "intelligent": -. Private to "Intelligenz": z.

"intelligent" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVCC  ·  "Intelligenz" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • intelligentinetlligent · inntelligent · inteligent · intelilgent · intellgient · intelliegnt · intelligennt · intelligentt
  • Intelligenzinetlligenz · inntelligenz · inteligenz · intelilgenz · intellgienz · intelliegnz · intelligennz · intelligenzz

Frequency comparison

intelligent#8,397
Intelligenz#4,523

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "intelligent" and "Intelligenz" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "intelligent" is an adjective and "Intelligenz" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "intelligent" or "Intelligenz"?
"Intelligenz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,523 in our German list, against #8,397 for "intelligent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering intelligent vs Intelligenz

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “intelligent”; for a noun, it's “Intelligenz”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “intelligent” 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