Which to use
“putz” is a verb and “Putze” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,657
- “putz” frequency rank
- #31,740
- “Putze” frequency rank
- 46397
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | putz | Putze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs putzen | Putzfrau |
Where the eye mixes putz and Putze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses putz with Putze
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: putz is [pʊt͡s] while Putze is [ˈpʊt͡sə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “putz” sits inside “Putze”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46397, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
putz is recorded at frequency rank #14,657, classified as averb, pronounced [pʊt͡s]. Putze is at rank #31,740, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpʊt͡sə].
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 46397, this pair ranks #1,320,498 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of putz vs Putze
Shared letters: ptuz. Private to "putz": -. Private to "Putze": e.
"putz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Putze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "putz" and "Putze" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "putz" vs "Putze" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "putz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Putze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,320,498 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "putz" and "Putze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pfützen vs Putze". 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 #1,320,498 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.