VergleichvsvergleichenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#787
“Vergleich” frequency rank
#3,002
“vergleichen” frequency rank
3789
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vergleich vergleichen
Definition das Nebeneinanderstellen von zwei oder mehr Gegenständen, Ideen, Personen, um herauszufinden, ob und wie sie sich hinsichtlich eines bestimmten Kriteriums ähneln zwei oder mehrere Dinge auf Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede prüfen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Vergleich and vergleichen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Vergleich
11 ch
vergleichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Vergleich is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡlaɪ̯ç] while vergleichen is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡlaɪ̯çn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Vergleich” sits inside “vergleichen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3789, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vergleich is recorded at frequency rank #787, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡlaɪ̯ç]. vergleichen is at rank #3,002, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡlaɪ̯çn̩].

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 3789, this pair ranks #1,999,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Vergleich vs vergleichen

Shared letters: ceghilrv. Private to "Vergleich": -. Private to "vergleichen": n.

"Vergleich" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCC  ·  "vergleichen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vergleichevrgleich · vegrleich · vergelich · verggleich · verglecih · vergleicch · vergleichh · vergleihc
  • vergleichenevrgleichen · vegrleichen · vergelichen · verggleichen · verglecihen · vergleicchen · vergleicehn · vergleichenn

Frequency comparison

Vergleich#787
vergleichen#3,002

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vergleich" and "vergleichen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Vergleich" is a noun and "vergleichen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Vergleich" or "vergleichen"?
"Vergleich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #787 in our German list, against #3,002 for "vergleichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Vergleich vs vergleichen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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