verpflichtendvsverpflichtetTell them apart

Which to use

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

#24,182
“verpflichtend” frequency rank
#2,184
“verpflichtet” frequency rank
26366
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verpflichtend verpflichtet
Definition Partizip Präsens des Verbs verpflichten 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verpflichten

Where the eye mixes verpflichtend and verpflichtet

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. verpflichtend runs 13 letters (CVCCCCVCCCVCC) against verpflichtet's 12 (CVCCCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
verpflichtend
12 ch
verpflichtet

Look-alike desk: verpflichtend vs verpflichtet

A purely visual mix-up. verpflichtend ([fɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtn̩t]) and verpflichtet ([fɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtət]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26366, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verpflichtend is recorded at frequency rank #24,182, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtn̩t]. verpflichtet is at rank #2,184, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtət].

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 26366, this pair ranks #1,819,268 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verpflichtend vs verpflichtet

Shared letters: cefhilprtv. Private to "verpflichtend": dn. Private to "verpflichtet": -.

"verpflichtend" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVCC  ·  "verpflichtet" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verpflichtend ← evrpflichtend · veprflichtend · verfplichtend · verpfflichtend · verpfilchtend · verpflcihtend · verpflicchtend · verpflichetnd
  • verpflichtet ← evrpflichtet · veprflichtet · verfplichtet · verpfflichtet · verpfilchtet · verpflcihtet · verpflicchtet · verpflichett

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "verpflichtend" for "verpflichtet" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtn̩t] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtət]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verpflichtend" or "verpflichtet"?
"verpflichtet" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,184 in our German list, against #24,182 for "verpflichtend". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "verpflichtend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verpflichtet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,819,268 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "verpflichtend" and "verpflichtet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verpflichtend vs verpflichtenden". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,819,268 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