Which to use
“fortsetzen” and “fortzusetzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,544
- “fortsetzen” frequency rank
- #15,885
- “fortzusetzen” frequency rank
- 25429
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fortsetzen | fortzusetzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an etwas, das begonnen wurde, anschließen und weiterführen, weiterverfolgen | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs fortsetzen |
Where the eye mixes fortsetzen and fortzusetzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. fortsetzen runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against fortzusetzen's 12 (CVCCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fortsetzen vs fortzusetzen
A purely visual mix-up. fortsetzen ([ˈfɔʁtˌzɛt͡sn̩]) and fortzusetzen ([ˈfɔʁtt͡suˌzɛt͡sn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25429, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fortsetzen is recorded at frequency rank #9,544, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔʁtˌzɛt͡sn̩]. fortzusetzen is at rank #15,885, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfɔʁtt͡suˌzɛt͡sn̩].
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 25429, this pair ranks #1,833,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fortsetzen vs fortzusetzen
Shared letters: efnorstz. Private to "fortsetzen": -. Private to "fortzusetzen": u.
"fortsetzen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "fortzusetzen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fortsetzen ← ffortsetzen · forrtsetzen · forstetzen · fortestzen · fortsetezn · fortsettzen · fortsetzenn · fortsetzne
- fortzusetzen ← ffortzusetzen · forrtzusetzen · forttzusetzen · fortuzsetzen · fortzsuetzen · fortzuestzen · fortzusetezn · fortzusettzen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fortsetzen" and "fortzusetzen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "fortsetzen" or "fortzusetzen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fortsetzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fortzusetzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,833,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fortsetzen" and "fortzusetzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "festzusetzen vs fortzusetzen". 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 #1,833,425 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.