verdächtigvsverdächtigtTell them apart

Quick tell: verdächtig is a adjective, verdächtigt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#10,388
“verdächtig” frequency rank
#17,753
“verdächtigt” frequency rank
28141
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verdächtig verdächtigt
Definition in einem Verdacht stehend, das heißt unter dem Glauben oder Vermutung, dass eine Sache/Person die Ursache eines Ereignisses ist Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verdächtigen

Where the eye mixes verdächtig and verdächtigt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. verdächtig runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCCVC) against verdächtigt's 11 (CVCCVCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
verdächtig
11 ch
verdächtigt

Look-alike desk: verdächtig vs verdächtigt

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verdächtig is [fɛɐ̯ˈdɛçtɪç] while verdächtigt is [fɛɐ̯ˈdɛçtɪçt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “verdächtig” sits inside “verdächtigt”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28141, 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]. verdächtigt is at rank #17,753, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdɛçtɪçt].

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 28141, this pair ranks #1,789,846 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verdächtig vs verdächtigt

Shared letters: cdeghirtvä. Private to "verdächtig": -. Private to "verdächtigt": -.

"verdächtig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC  ·  "verdächtigt" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verdächtig" and "verdächtigt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verdächtig" is an adjective and "verdächtigt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "verdächtig" vs "verdächtigt" - which ranks higher?
"verdächtig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,388 in our German list, against #17,753 for "verdächtigt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "verdächtig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verdächtigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,789,846 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "verdächtig" and "verdächtigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verdächtiges vs verdächtigt". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,789,846 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list