Which to use
“Vernunft” is a noun and “vernünftig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,895
- “Vernunft” frequency rank
- #5,664
- “vernünftig” frequency rank
- 11559
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vernunft | vernünftig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fähigkeit des menschlichen Denkens; geistiges Vermögen des Menschen, mit seinem Verstand durch Beobachtung und Erfahrung erfasster Sachverhalte universelle Zusammenhänge der Wirklichkeit durch Schlussfolgerung herstellen zu können, deren Bedeutung zu erkennen, Regeln und Prinzipien aufzustellen und danach zu handeln | seinen Verstand (die Vernunft) gebrauchend, statt sich von Emotionen leiten zu lassen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Vernunft and vernünftig apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Vernunft and vernünftig form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11559, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vernunft is recorded at frequency rank #5,895, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnʊnft]. vernünftig is at rank #5,664, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪç].
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 11559, this pair ranks #1,969,224 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Vernunft" and "vernünftig" be used interchangeably?
Remembering Vernunft vs vernünftig
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Vernunft”; for an adjective, it's “vernünftig”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Vernunft” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable