vernachlässigenvsVernachlässigungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#17,174
“vernachlässigen” frequency rank
#30,361
“Vernachlässigung” frequency rank
47535
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vernachlässigen Vernachlässigung
Definition sich nicht ausreichend um jemanden oder etwas kümmern Einstellung, jemanden oder etwas als geringfügig/unbedeutsam einzustufen und zu missachten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vernachlässigen and Vernachlässigung apart are highlighted. They share 14 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

15 ch
vernachlässigen
16 ch
Vernachlässigung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vernachlässigen is [fɛɐ̯ˈnaːxlɛsɪɡn̩] while Vernachlässigung is [fɛɐ̯ˈnaːxlɛsɪɡʊŋ]. 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 47535, 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]. Vernachlässigung is at rank #30,361, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnaːxlɛsɪɡʊŋ].

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 47535, this pair ranks #1,280,901 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vernachlässigen vs Vernachlässigung

Shared letters: aceghilnrsvä. Private to "vernachlässigen": -. Private to "Vernachlässigung": u.

"vernachlässigen" · 15 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCCVCVC  ·  "Vernachlässigung" · 16 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

vernachlässigen#17,174
Vernachlässigung#30,361

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vernachlässigen" and "Vernachlässigung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vernachlässigen" is a verb and "Vernachlässigung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vernachlässigen" or "Vernachlässigung"?
"vernachlässigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,174 in our German list, against #30,361 for "Vernachlässigung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vernachlässigen vs Vernachlässigung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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