Which to use
“prüfen” is a verb and “Prüfung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,781
- “prüfen” frequency rank
- #1,986
- “Prüfung” frequency rank
- 4767
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prüfen | Prüfung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | feststellen, inwiefern einer Bedingung genügt wird | Handlung des Kontrollierens; das Nachschauen oder Testen, ob etwas funktioniert beziehungsweise in Ordnung ist |
Where the eye mixes prüfen and Prüfung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. prüfen runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against Prüfung's 7 (CCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between prüfen and Prüfung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: prüfen is [ˈpʁyːfn̩] while Prüfung is [ˈpʁyːfʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4767, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prüfen is recorded at frequency rank #2,781, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpʁyːfn̩]. Prüfung is at rank #1,986, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpʁyːfʊŋ].
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 4767, this pair ranks #1,996,728 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of prüfen vs Prüfung
Shared letters: fnprü. Private to "prüfen": e. Private to "Prüfung": gu.
"prüfen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "Prüfung" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "prüfen" for "Prüfung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "prüfen" or "Prüfung" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "prüfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Prüfung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,728 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prüfen" and "Prüfung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "prüf vs prüfen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,996,728 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.