kompetentervsKompetenzenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#31,133
“kompetenter” frequency rank
#7,495
“Kompetenzen” frequency rank
38628
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kompetenter Kompetenzen
Definition Nominativ Singular Maskulinum 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 kompetenter and Kompetenzen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
kompetenter
11 ch
Kompetenzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kompetenter is [kɔmpəˈtɛntɐ] while Kompetenzen is [kɔmpəˈtɛnt͡sn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38628, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kompetenter is recorded at frequency rank #31,133, classified as anadj, pronounced [kɔmpəˈtɛntɐ]. 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 38628, this pair ranks #1,558,913 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kompetenter vs Kompetenzen

Shared letters: ekmnopt. Private to "kompetenter": r. Private to "Kompetenzen": z.

"kompetenter" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC  ·  "Kompetenzen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kompetenterkkompetenter · kmopetenter · komeptenter · kommpetenter · kompeetnter · kompetenetr · kompetennter · kompetenterr
  • Kompetenzenkkompetenzen · kmopetenzen · komeptenzen · kommpetenzen · kompeetnzen · kompetenezn · kompetennzen · kompetenzenn

Frequency comparison

kompetenter#31,133
Kompetenzen#7,495

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kompetenter" and "Kompetenzen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kompetenter" is an adjective and "Kompetenzen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kompetenter" or "Kompetenzen"?
"Kompetenzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,495 in our German list, against #31,133 for "kompetenter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kompetenter vs Kompetenzen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “kompetenter”; for a noun, it's “Kompetenzen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kompetenter” 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