Which to use
“rott” is an adjective and “rotten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,266
- “rott” frequency rank
- #34,340
- “rotten” frequency rank
- 64606
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rott | rotten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | im Verfall/in Zersetzung begriffen | faulen, verfallen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rott and rotten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rott is [ʁɔt] while rotten is [ˈʁɔtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “rott” sits inside “rotten”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rott is recorded at frequency rank #30,266, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʁɔt]. rotten is at rank #34,340, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʁɔtn̩].
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 64606, this pair ranks #635,560 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of rott vs rotten
Shared letters: ort. Private to "rott": -. Private to "rotten": en.
"rott" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "rotten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rott" and "rotten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "rott" or "rotten"?
Remembering rott vs rotten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “rott”; for a verb, it's “rotten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rott” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable