kompetent
[kɔmpəˈtɛnt]
The verdict
“kompetent” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #12,521 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #12,521
- frequency rank, German
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - fähig, über das nötige Wissen, Können verfügend
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | kompetent |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [kɔmpəˈtɛnt] |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #12,521 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “kompetent” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for kompetent is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [kɔmpəˈtɛnt]. Corpus data places it at rank #12,521 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for kompetent, with forms such as "kkompetent", "kmopetent", and "komeptent". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Kompetenz", "kompetente", "kompetenten", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is kompetent, spelled K-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1fähig, über das nötige Wissen, Können verfügend
- 2zuständig, befugt
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: kkompetent,kmopetent,komeptent,kommpetent,kompeetnt,kompetennt,kompetentt,kompetetn,kompetnet,kompettent,komppetent,kompteent,kopmetent,okmpetent
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kompetent - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "kompetent"?
What does "kompetent" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "kompetent"?
How do you pronounce "kompetent"?
What language does "kompetent" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “kompetent”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is K-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [kɔmpəˈtɛnt] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Kompetenz” - see the side-by-side comparison. kompetent vs Kompetenz
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.