verführenvsVerführungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#16,860
“verführen” frequency rank
#26,664
“Verführung” frequency rank
43524
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verführen Verführung
Definition an einen anderen Ort führen Handlungsweise oder Zustand, die/der jemanden dazu bringen will, etwas zu tun, was diese Person eigentlich nicht will

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
verführen
10 ch
Verführung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verführen is [fɛɐ̯ˈfyːʁən] while Verführung is [fɛɐ̯ˈfyːʁʊŋ]. 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 43524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verführen is recorded at frequency rank #16,860, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈfyːʁən]. Verführung is at rank #26,664, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈfyːʁʊŋ].

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 43524, this pair ranks #1,415,340 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verführen vs Verführung

Shared letters: efhnrvü. Private to "verführen": -. Private to "Verführung": gu.

"verführen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "Verführung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

verführen#16,860
Verführung#26,664

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verführen" and "Verführung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verführen" is a verb and "Verführung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "verführen" or "Verführung"?
"verführen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,860 in our German list, against #26,664 for "Verführung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verführen vs Verführung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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