Which to use
“open” is an adjective and “used” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,607
- “open” frequency rank
- #19,746
- “used” frequency rank
- 22353
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | open | used |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas ist nicht geschlossen | Präteritum (simple past) des Verbs use |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set open and used apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: open is anadjective and usedaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22353, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
open is recorded at frequency rank #2,607, classified as anadj, pronounced […]. used is at rank #19,746, tagged as averb, pronounced […].
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 22353, this pair ranks #1,875,208 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of open vs used
Shared letters: e. Private to "open": nop. Private to "used": dsu.
"open" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "used" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "open" and "used" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "open" or "used"?
Remembering open vs used
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “open”; for a verb, it's “used”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “open” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable