verkündenvsverwendenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“verkünden” and “verwenden” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,195
“verkünden” frequency rank
#1,998
“verwenden” frequency rank
14193
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verkünden verwenden
Definition öffentlich sagen etwas benutzen, zu einem bestimmten Zweck einsetzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verkünden and verwenden apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
verkünden
9 ch
verwenden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verkünden ([fɛɐ̯ˈkʏndn̩]) and verwenden ([fɛɐ̯ˈvɛndn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14193, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verkünden is recorded at frequency rank #12,195, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈkʏndn̩]. verwenden is at rank #1,998, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvɛndn̩].

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 14193, this pair ranks #1,952,939 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verkünden vs verwenden

Shared letters: denrv. Private to "verkünden": . Private to "verwenden": w.

"verkünden" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "verwenden" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verwendenevrwenden · verewnden · verrwenden · verwednen · verwendden · verwendenn · verwendne · verwenedn

Frequency comparison

verkünden#12,195
verwenden#1,998

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verkünden" and "verwenden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈkʏndn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈvɛndn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verkünden" or "verwenden"?
"verwenden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,998 in our German list, against #12,195 for "verkünden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verkünden vs verwenden

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verkünden” 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