funktionierevsfunktioniertWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,622
“funktioniere” frequency rank
#927
“funktioniert” frequency rank
45549
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature funktioniere funktioniert
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs funktionieren 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs funktionieren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set funktioniere and funktioniert apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
funktioniere
12 ch
funktioniert

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. funktioniere ([fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁə]) and funktioniert ([fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːɐ̯t]) 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 a single letter - e in “funktioniere” becomes t in “funktioniert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45549, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

funktioniere is recorded at frequency rank #44,622, classified as averb, pronounced [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁə]. funktioniert is at rank #927, tagged as averb, pronounced [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːɐ̯t].

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 45549, this pair ranks #1,349,263 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of funktioniere vs funktioniert

Shared letters: efiknortu. Private to "funktioniere": -. Private to "funktioniert": -.

"funktioniere" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVVCV  ·  "funktioniert" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • funktioniereffunktioniere · fnuktioniere · fukntioniere · funkitoniere · funkktioniere · funktinoiere · funktioinere · funktioneire
  • funktioniertffunktioniert · fnuktioniert · fukntioniert · funkitoniert · funkktioniert · funktinoiert · funktioinert · funktioneirt

Frequency comparison

funktioniere#44,622
funktioniert#927

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "funktioniere" and "funktioniert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁə] versus [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "funktioniere" or "funktioniert"?
"funktioniert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #927 in our German list, against #44,622 for "funktioniere". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering funktioniere vs funktioniert

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 “funktioniere” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list