Which to use
“kompetente” and “kompetenter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,302
- “kompetente” frequency rank
- #31,133
- “kompetenter” frequency rank
- 49435
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kompetente | kompetenter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kompetent | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kompetent |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kompetente and kompetenter apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. kompetente ([kɔmpəˈtɛntə]) and kompetenter ([kɔmpəˈtɛntɐ]) 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) - “kompetente” sits inside “kompetenter”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49435, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kompetente is recorded at frequency rank #18,302, classified as anadj, pronounced [kɔmpəˈtɛntə]. kompetenter is at rank #31,133, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kɔmpəˈtɛntɐ].
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 49435, this pair ranks #1,211,640 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kompetente vs kompetenter
Shared letters: ekmnopt. Private to "kompetente": -. Private to "kompetenter": r.
"kompetente" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV · "kompetenter" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- kompetente ← kkompetente · kmopetente · komeptente · kommpetente · kompeetnte · kompetenet · kompetennte · kompetentte
- kompetenter ← kkompetenter · kmopetenter · komeptenter · kommpetenter · kompeetnter · kompetenetr · kompetennter · kompetenterr
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kompetente" and "kompetenter" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kompetente" or "kompetenter"?
Remembering kompetente vs kompetenter
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 “kompetente” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable