Which to use
“kompetenten” and “kompetenter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,070
- “kompetenten” frequency rank
- #31,133
- “kompetenter” frequency rank
- 57203
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kompetenten | kompetenter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kompetent | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kompetent |
Where the eye mixes kompetenten and kompetenter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. kompetenten and kompetenter follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses kompetenten with kompetenter
A purely visual mix-up. kompetenten ([kɔmpəˈtɛntn̩]) 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 a single letter - n in “kompetenten” becomes r in “kompetenter”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57203, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kompetenten is recorded at frequency rank #26,070, classified as anadj, pronounced [kɔmpəˈtɛntn̩]. 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 57203, this pair ranks #910,450 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kompetenten vs kompetenter
Shared letters: ekmnopt. Private to "kompetenten": -. Private to "kompetenter": r.
"kompetenten" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC · "kompetenter" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- kompetenten ← kkompetenten · kmopetenten · komeptenten · kommpetenten · kompeetnten · kompetenetn · kompetennten · kompetentenn
- kompetenter ← kkompetenter · kmopetenter · komeptenter · kommpetenter · kompeetnter · kompetenetr · kompetennter · kompetenterr
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kompetenten" and "kompetenter" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "kompetenten" vs "kompetenter" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kompetenten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kompetenter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #910,450 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kompetenten" and "kompetenter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kompetente vs kompetenter". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #910,450 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.