tilkjenner

Tilkjenner is a Norwegian verb meaning to acknowledge, admit, or confess a fact, claim, or responsibility. It is often used in formal or legal contexts, but also appears in journalism and everyday speech when someone explicitly accepts responsibility or confirms a statement. The expression tilkjenne seg is common when a person admits ownership or responsibility for something, such as guilt or an obligation.

The base form is tilkjenne. The present tense is tilkjenner, the past tense tilkjente, and the past participle tilkjent. The phrase tilkjenne seg is the reflexive form used when the subject acknowledges something as their own, for example, tilkjenner seg ansvaret or tilkjenner seg skyld. In many contexts, tilkjenne and tilkjenne seg are interchangeable with related verbs like erkjenne, innrømme, or tilstå, though tilkjenne carries a stronger sense of formal acknowledgment or acceptance of responsibility.

Etymologically, tilkjenne derives from the prefix til- combined with kjenne (to know or recognize), conveying the sense of coming to know or recognizing a fact or claim. The word is primarily used in Bokmål; it appears in legal texts, official statements, and news reporting, as well as in literary Norwegian.

Usage notes: tilkjenner is more formal than everyday words for recognizing a fact, and it often implies a deliberate or voluntary admission, especially regarding responsibility, guilt, or obligation. It can be used with or without the reflexive seg, depending on whether the subject admits something for themselves. For related meanings, see erkjenne, innrømme, and tilstå.