Which to use
“schädigen” is a verb and “Schädigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,736
- “schädigen” frequency rank
- #24,119
- “Schädigung” frequency rank
- 44855
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schädigen | Schädigung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas einen Schaden zufügen | schädigendes Ereignis, bei dem eine materielle oder ideelle Verschlechterung eines Rechtsgutes entsteht |
Where the eye mixes schädigen and Schädigung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schädigen runs 9 letters (CCCVCVCVC) against Schädigung's 10 (CCCVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schädigen and Schädigung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schädigen is [ˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩] while Schädigung is [ˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋ]. 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 44855, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schädigen is recorded at frequency rank #20,736, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩]. Schädigung is at rank #24,119, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋ].
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 44855, this pair ranks #1,372,503 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schädigen vs Schädigung
Shared letters: cdghinsä. Private to "schädigen": e. Private to "Schädigung": u.
"schädigen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCVCVC · "Schädigung" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schädigen" for "Schädigung" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schädigen" vs "Schädigung" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "schädigen" and "Schädigung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schädigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schädigung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,372,503 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädigen" and "Schädigung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schädigung vs Schädigungen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,372,503 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.