verdutztvsversetztWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#47,082
“verdutzt” frequency rank
#4,081
“versetzt” frequency rank
51163
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verdutzt versetzt
Definition durch etwas Unerwartetes in Erstaunen versetzt Partizip Perfekt des Verbs versetzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verdutzt and versetzt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
verdutzt
8 ch
versetzt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verdutzt is [fɛɐ̯ˈdʊt͡st] while versetzt is [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛt͡st]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51163, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verdutzt is recorded at frequency rank #47,082, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdʊt͡st]. versetzt is at rank #4,081, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛt͡st].

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 51163, this pair ranks #1,146,062 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verdutzt vs versetzt

Shared letters: ertvz. Private to "verdutzt": du. Private to "versetzt": s.

"verdutzt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "versetzt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verdutztevrdutzt · vedrutzt · verddutzt · verdtuzt · verduttz · verduttzt · verdutztt · verdutzzt
  • versetztevrsetzt · verestzt · verrsetzt · versettz · versettzt · versetztt · versetzzt · verseztt

Frequency comparison

verdutzt#47,082
versetzt#4,081

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verdutzt" and "versetzt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verdutzt" is an adjective and "versetzt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "verdutzt" or "versetzt"?
"versetzt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,081 in our German list, against #47,082 for "verdutzt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering verdutzt vs versetzt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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