kompaktvskompaktenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,954
“kompakt” frequency rank
#27,377
“kompakten” frequency rank
40331
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kompakt kompakten
Definition dicht gefügt, ohne große Zwischenräume, wenig Raum beanspruchend Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kompakt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kompakt and kompakten apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
kompakt
9 ch
kompakten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kompakt ([kɔmˈpakt]) and kompakten ([kɔmˈpaktn̩]) 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) - “kompakt” sits inside “kompakten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40331, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kompakt is recorded at frequency rank #12,954, classified as anadj, pronounced [kɔmˈpakt]. kompakten is at rank #27,377, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kɔmˈpaktn̩].

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 40331, this pair ranks #1,511,572 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kompakt vs kompakten

Shared letters: akmopt. Private to "kompakt": -. Private to "kompakten": en.

"kompakt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "kompakten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kompaktkkompakt · kmopakt · komapkt · kommpakt · kompakkt · kompaktt · kompatk · kompkat
  • kompaktenkkompakten · kmopakten · komapkten · kommpakten · kompaketn · kompakkten · kompaktenn · kompaktne

Frequency comparison

kompakt#12,954
kompakten#27,377

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kompakt" and "kompakten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kɔmˈpakt] versus [kɔmˈpaktn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kompakt" or "kompakten"?
"kompakt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,954 in our German list, against #27,377 for "kompakten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kompakt vs kompakten

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 “kompakt” 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