Which to use
“kompetent” and “kompetente” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,521
- “kompetent” frequency rank
- #18,302
- “kompetente” frequency rank
- 30823
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kompetent | kompetente |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fähig, über das nötige Wissen, Können verfügend | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kompetent |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kompetent and kompetente apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. kompetent ([kɔmpəˈtɛnt]) and kompetente ([kɔmpəˈtɛntə]) 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) - “kompetent” sits inside “kompetente”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30823, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kompetent is recorded at frequency rank #12,521, classified as anadj, pronounced [kɔmpəˈtɛnt]. kompetente is at rank #18,302, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kɔmpəˈtɛntə].
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 30823, this pair ranks #1,740,377 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kompetent vs kompetente
Shared letters: ekmnopt. Private to "kompetent": -. Private to "kompetente": -.
"kompetent" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC · "kompetente" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- kompetent ← kkompetent · kmopetent · komeptent · kommpetent · kompeetnt · kompetennt · kompetentt · kompetetn
- kompetente ← kkompetente · kmopetente · komeptente · kommpetente · kompeetnte · kompetenet · kompetennte · kompetentte
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kompetent" and "kompetente" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kompetent" or "kompetente"?
Remembering kompetent vs kompetente
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 “kompetent” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable