veranlassenvsveranlasstenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: veranlassen is a verb, veranlassten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“veranlassen” is a verb and “veranlassten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,405
“veranlassen” frequency rank
#35,516
“veranlassten” frequency rank
47921
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature veranlassen veranlassten
Definition einen Auftrag erteilen Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs veranlasst

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set veranlassen and veranlassten apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
veranlassen
12 ch
veranlassten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

veranlassen and veranlassten form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47921, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

veranlassen is recorded at frequency rank #12,405, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔanˌlasn̩]. veranlassten is at rank #35,516, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔanˌlastn̩].

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 47921, this pair ranks #1,267,233 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

veranlassen#12,405
veranlassten#35,516

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "veranlassen" and "veranlassten" be used interchangeably?
No, "veranlassen" and "veranlassten" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering veranlassen vs veranlassten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “veranlassen”; for an adjective, it's “veranlassten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “veranlassen” 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