Which to use
“mitarbeiten” is a verb and “Mitarbeiter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,242
- “mitarbeiten” frequency rank
- #735
- “Mitarbeiter” frequency rank
- 29977
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mitarbeiten | Mitarbeiter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gemeinsam mit anderen an einer Aufgabe tätig sein | jemand, der zusammen mit anderen im gleichen Betrieb oder in der gleichen Institution arbeitet |
Where the eye mixes mitarbeiten and Mitarbeiter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. mitarbeiten and Mitarbeiter follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses mitarbeiten with Mitarbeiter
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mitarbeiten is [ˈmɪtʔaʁˌbaɪ̯tn̩] while Mitarbeiter is [ˈmɪtʔaʁˌbaɪ̯tɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “mitarbeiten” becomes r in “Mitarbeiter”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29977, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mitarbeiten is recorded at frequency rank #29,242, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmɪtʔaʁˌbaɪ̯tn̩]. Mitarbeiter is at rank #735, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɪtʔaʁˌbaɪ̯tɐ].
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 29977, this pair ranks #1,756,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mitarbeiten vs Mitarbeiter
Shared letters: abeimrt. Private to "mitarbeiten": n. Private to "Mitarbeiter": -.
"mitarbeiten" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVC · "Mitarbeiter" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mitarbeiten ← imtarbeiten · miatrbeiten · mitabreiten · mitarbbeiten · mitarbeietn · mitarbeitenn · mitarbeitne · mitarbeitten
- Mitarbeiter ← imtarbeiter · miatrbeiter · mitabreiter · mitarbbeiter · mitarbeietr · mitarbeiterr · mitarbeitre · mitarbeitter
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mitarbeiten" for "Mitarbeiter" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mitarbeiten" or "Mitarbeiter"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mitarbeiten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Mitarbeiter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,756,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mitarbeiten" and "Mitarbeiter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mitarbeiten vs mitzuarbeiten". 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 #1,756,677 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.