Which to use
“tätig” and “tätiger” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,181
- “tätig” frequency rank
- #46,343
- “tätiger” frequency rank
- 48524
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tätig | tätiger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | handelnd, etwas Praktisches tuend | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tätig |
Where the eye mixes tätig and tätiger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tätig runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against tätiger's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: tätig vs tätiger
A purely visual mix-up. tätig ([ˈtɛːtɪç]) and tätiger ([ˈtɛːtɪɡɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “tätig” sits inside “tätiger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48524, 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]. tätiger is at rank #46,343, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈtɛːtɪɡɐ].
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 48524, this pair ranks #1,245,400 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tätig vs tätiger
Shared letters: gitä. Private to "tätig": -. Private to "tätiger": er.
"tätig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tätiger" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tätig" for "tätiger" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "tätig" or "tätiger" show up more?
What to do next
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 "tätiger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,245,400 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tätig" and "tätiger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tätige vs tätiger". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,245,400 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.