tätigvstätigenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tätig is a adjective, tätigen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tätig” is an adjective and “tätigen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,181
“tätig” frequency rank
#8,799
“tätigen” frequency rank
10980
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tätig tätigen
Definition handelnd, etwas Praktisches tuend etwas in die Tat umsetzen, eine bestimmte Handlung vollziehen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tätig and tätigen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
tätig
7 ch
tätigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tätig is [ˈtɛːtɪç] while tätigen is [ˈtɛːtɪɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “tätig” sits inside “tätigen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10980, 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]. tätigen is at rank #8,799, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈtɛːtɪɡn̩].

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 10980, this pair ranks #1,972,308 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tätig vs tätigen

Shared letters: gitä. Private to "tätig": -. Private to "tätigen": en.

"tätig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "tätigen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

tätig#2,181
tätigen#8,799

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tätig" and "tätigen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tätig" is an adjective and "tätigen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tätig" or "tätigen"?
"tätig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,181 in our German list, against #8,799 for "tätigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tätig vs tätigen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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