kürzenvskürztWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,680
“kürzen” frequency rank
#44,034
“kürzt” frequency rank
59714
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kürzen kürzt
Definition kürzer machen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kürzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kürzen and kürzt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
kürzen
5 ch
kürzt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kürzen ([ˈkʏʁt͡sn̩]) and kürzt ([kʏʁt͡st]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59714, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kürzen is recorded at frequency rank #15,680, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkʏʁt͡sn̩]. kürzt is at rank #44,034, tagged as averb, pronounced [kʏʁt͡st].

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 59714, this pair ranks #814,151 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kürzen vs kürzt

Shared letters: krzü. Private to "kürzen": en. Private to "kürzt": t.

"kürzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "kürzt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Frequency comparison

kürzen#15,680
kürzt#44,034

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kürzen" and "kürzt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkʏʁt͡sn̩] versus [kʏʁt͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kürzen" or "kürzt"?
"kürzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,680 in our German list, against #44,034 for "kürzt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kürzen vs kürzt

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 “kürzen” 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