Which to use
“vernachlässigen” is a verb and “vernachlässigte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,174
- “vernachlässigen” frequency rank
- #36,094
- “vernachlässigte” frequency rank
- 53268
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vernachlässigen | vernachlässigte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich nicht ausreichend um jemanden oder etwas kümmern | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs vernachlässigt |
Where the eye mixes vernachlässigen and vernachlässigte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 14 letters in sequence. vernachlässigen (CVCCVCCCVCCVCVC) and vernachlässigte (CVCCVCCCVCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: vernachlässigen vs vernachlässigte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vernachlässigen is [fɛɐ̯ˈnaːxlɛsɪɡn̩] while vernachlässigte is [fɛɐ̯ˈnaːxlɛsɪçtə]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53268, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vernachlässigen is recorded at frequency rank #17,174, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnaːxlɛsɪɡn̩]. vernachlässigte is at rank #36,094, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnaːxlɛsɪçtə].
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 53268, this pair ranks #1,064,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vernachlässigen vs vernachlässigte
Shared letters: aceghilnrsvä. Private to "vernachlässigen": -. Private to "vernachlässigte": t.
"vernachlässigen" · 15 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCCVCVC · "vernachlässigte" · 15 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vernachlässigen" for "vernachlässigte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "vernachlässigen" or "vernachlässigte" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vernachlässigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vernachlässigte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,064,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vernachlässigen" and "vernachlässigte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vernachlässigt vs vernachlässigte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,064,645 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.