mitarbeitenvsMitarbeiterinWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mitarbeiten is a verb, Mitarbeiterin is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mitarbeiten” is a verb and “Mitarbeiterin” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#29,242
“mitarbeiten” frequency rank
#9,414
“Mitarbeiterin” frequency rank
38656
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mitarbeiten Mitarbeiterin
Definition gemeinsam mit anderen an einer Aufgabe tätig sein Arbeiterin oder Angestellte in einem Unternehmen oder einer Organisation

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mitarbeiten and Mitarbeiterin apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
mitarbeiten
13 ch
Mitarbeiterin

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mitarbeiten is [ˈmɪtʔaʁˌbaɪ̯tn̩] while Mitarbeiterin is [ˈmɪtˌʔaʁbaɪ̯təʁɪn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38656, 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]. Mitarbeiterin is at rank #9,414, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmɪtˌʔaʁbaɪ̯təʁɪn].

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 38656, this pair ranks #1,558,151 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mitarbeiten vs Mitarbeiterin

Shared letters: abeimnrt. Private to "mitarbeiten": -. Private to "Mitarbeiterin": -.

"mitarbeiten" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVC  ·  "Mitarbeiterin" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mitarbeitenimtarbeiten · miatrbeiten · mitabreiten · mitarbbeiten · mitarbeietn · mitarbeitenn · mitarbeitne · mitarbeitten
  • Mitarbeiterinimtarbeiterin · miatrbeiterin · mitabreiterin · mitarbbeiterin · mitarbeietrin · mitarbeiteirn · mitarbeiterinn · mitarbeiterni

Frequency comparison

mitarbeiten#29,242
Mitarbeiterin#9,414

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mitarbeiten" and "Mitarbeiterin" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mitarbeiten" is a verb and "Mitarbeiterin" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mitarbeiten" or "Mitarbeiterin"?
"Mitarbeiterin" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,414 in our German list, against #29,242 for "mitarbeiten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mitarbeiten vs Mitarbeiterin

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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