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 eye mixes Vernunft and vernünftig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Vernunft runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCC) against vernünftig's 10 (CVCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Vernunft and vernünftig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Vernunft is [fɛɐ̯ˈnʊnft] while vernünftig is [fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of Vernunft vs vernünftig
Shared letters: efnrtv. Private to "Vernunft": u. Private to "vernünftig": giü.
"Vernunft" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC · "vernünftig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Vernunft ← evrnunft · venrunft · vernnuft · vernnunft · vernufnt · vernunfft · vernunftt · vernunnft
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Vernunft" and "vernünftig" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Vernunft" or "vernünftig" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Vernunft" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vernünftig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,969,224 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vernunft" and "vernünftig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vernunft vs verpufft". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,969,224 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.