kompetentevsKompetenzenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#18,302
“kompetente” frequency rank
#7,495
“Kompetenzen” frequency rank
25797
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kompetente Kompetenzen
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kompetent Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Kompetenz

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kompetente and Kompetenzen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
kompetente
11 ch
Kompetenzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kompetente is [kɔmpəˈtɛntə] while Kompetenzen is [kɔmpəˈtɛnt͡sn̩]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25797, 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]. Kompetenzen is at rank #7,495, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔmpəˈtɛnt͡sn̩].

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 25797, this pair ranks #1,827,845 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kompetente vs Kompetenzen

Shared letters: ekmnopt. Private to "kompetente": -. Private to "Kompetenzen": z.

"kompetente" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV  ·  "Kompetenzen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kompetentekkompetente · kmopetente · komeptente · kommpetente · kompeetnte · kompetenet · kompetennte · kompetentte
  • Kompetenzenkkompetenzen · kmopetenzen · komeptenzen · kommpetenzen · kompeetnzen · kompetenezn · kompetennzen · kompetenzenn

Frequency comparison

kompetente#18,302
Kompetenzen#7,495

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kompetente" and "Kompetenzen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kompetente" is an adjective and "Kompetenzen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kompetente" or "Kompetenzen"?
"Kompetenzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,495 in our German list, against #18,302 for "kompetente". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kompetente vs Kompetenzen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “kompetente”; for a noun, it's “Kompetenzen”.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list