sortierenvsSortierungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sortieren is a verb, Sortierung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sortieren” is a verb and “Sortierung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,673
“sortieren” frequency rank
#33,826
“Sortierung” frequency rank
48499
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sortieren Sortierung
Definition etwas nach Art, Größe, Farbe ordnen Beschreibt in welcher Reihenfolge sich dessen Elemente befinden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sortieren and Sortierung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
sortieren
10 ch
Sortierung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sortieren is [zɔʁˈtiːʁən] while Sortierung is [zɔʁˈtiːʁʊŋ]. 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 48499, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sortieren is recorded at frequency rank #14,673, classified as averb, pronounced [zɔʁˈtiːʁən]. Sortierung is at rank #33,826, tagged as anoun, pronounced [zɔʁˈtiːʁʊŋ].

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 48499, this pair ranks #1,246,354 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sortieren vs Sortierung

Shared letters: einorst. Private to "sortieren": -. Private to "Sortierung": gu.

"sortieren" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC  ·  "Sortierung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sortierenosrtieren · soriteren · sorrtieren · sorteiren · sortieern · sortierenn · sortierne · sortierren
  • Sortierungosrtierung · soriterung · sorrtierung · sorteirung · sortiernug · sortierrung · sortierugn · sortierungg

Frequency comparison

sortieren#14,673
Sortierung#33,826

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sortieren" and "Sortierung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sortieren" is a verb and "Sortierung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sortieren" or "Sortierung"?
"sortieren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,673 in our German list, against #33,826 for "Sortierung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sortieren vs Sortierung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “sortieren”; for a noun, it's “Sortierung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sortieren” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list