tätigvstätigeWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“tätig” and “tätige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,181
“tätig” frequency rank
#16,571
“tätige” frequency rank
18752
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tätig tätige
Definition handelnd, etwas Praktisches tuend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tätig

Where the eye mixes tätig and tätige

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tätig runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against tätige's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
tätig
6 ch
tätige

Look-alike desk: tätig vs tätige

A purely visual mix-up. tätig ([ˈtɛːtɪç]) and tätige ([ˈtɛːtɪɡə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “tätig” sits inside “tätige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18752, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tätig is recorded at frequency rank #2,181, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈtɛːtɪç]. tätige is at rank #16,571, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈtɛːtɪɡə].

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 18752, this pair ranks #1,915,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tätig vs tätige

Shared letters: gitä. Private to "tätig": -. Private to "tätige": e.

"tätig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "tätige" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tätig" and "tätige" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈtɛːtɪç] versus [ˈtɛːtɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "tätig" vs "tätige" - which ranks higher?
"tätig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,181 in our German list, against #16,571 for "tätige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "tätig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tätige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,915,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tätig" and "tätige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tätige vs tätiger". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,915,245 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list