Which to use
“funktionieren” is a verb and “funktionierende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,544
- “funktionieren” frequency rank
- #15,886
- “funktionierende” frequency rank
- 18430
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | funktionieren | funktionierende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vorschriftsmäßig arbeiten | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs funktionierend |
Where the eye mixes funktionieren and funktionierende
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. funktionieren runs 13 letters (CVCCCVVCVVCVC) against funktionierende's 15 (CVCCCVVCVVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: funktionieren vs funktionierende
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: funktionieren is [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁən] while funktionierende is [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁəndə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “funktionieren” sits inside “funktionierende”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18430, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
funktionieren is recorded at frequency rank #2,544, classified as averb, pronounced [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁən]. funktionierende is at rank #15,886, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fʊŋkt͡si̯oˈniːʁəndə].
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 18430, this pair ranks #1,918,307 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of funktionieren vs funktionierende
Shared letters: efiknortu. Private to "funktionieren": -. Private to "funktionierende": d.
"funktionieren" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVVCVC · "funktionierende" · 15 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- funktionieren ← ffunktionieren · fnuktionieren · fukntionieren · funkitonieren · funkktionieren · funktinoieren · funktioineren · funktioneiren
- funktionierende ← ffunktionierende · fnuktionierende · fukntionierende · funkitonierende · funkktionierende · funktinoierende · funktioinerende · funktioneirende
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "funktionieren" and "funktionierende" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "funktionieren" vs "funktionierende" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "funktionieren" and "funktionierende" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "funktionieren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "funktionierende" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,918,307 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "funktionieren" and "funktionierende" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "funktionieren vs funktionierten". 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 #1,918,307 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.