tätig vs tätiger, What's the Difference?

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 spellings diverge

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

5 ch

tätig

7 ch

tätiger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

tätig#2,181

tätiger#46,343

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tätig" and "tätiger" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈtɛːtɪç] versus [ˈtɛːtɪɡɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "tätig" or "tätiger"?

"tätig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,181 in our German list, against #46,343 for "tätiger". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering tätig vs tätiger

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
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