Which to use
“verdächtig” is an adjective and “verdächtigen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,388
- “verdächtig” frequency rank
- #7,123
- “verdächtigen” frequency rank
- 17511
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verdächtig | verdächtigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einem Verdacht stehend, das heißt unter dem Glauben oder Vermutung, dass eine Sache/Person die Ursache eines Ereignisses ist | einen Verdacht gegen jemanden haben, aussprechen |
Where the eye mixes verdächtig and verdächtigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. verdächtig runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCCVC) against verdächtigen's 12 (CVCCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verdächtig with verdächtigen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verdächtig is [fɛɐ̯ˈdɛçtɪç] while verdächtigen is [fɛɐ̯ˈdɛçtɪɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “verdächtig” sits inside “verdächtigen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17511, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verdächtig is recorded at frequency rank #10,388, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdɛçtɪç]. verdächtigen is at rank #7,123, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdɛçtɪɡn̩].
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 17511, this pair ranks #1,926,745 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verdächtig vs verdächtigen
Shared letters: cdeghirtvä. Private to "verdächtig": -. Private to "verdächtigen": n.
"verdächtig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC · "verdächtigen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verdächtig" for "verdächtigen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "verdächtig" or "verdächtigen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "verdächtig" and "verdächtigen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "verdächtig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verdächtigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,926,745 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verdächtig" and "verdächtigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verdächtig vs verdächtiges". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,926,745 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.