Which to use
“vernünftig” and “vernünftigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,664
- “vernünftig” frequency rank
- #11,559
- “vernünftigen” frequency rank
- 17223
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vernünftig | vernünftigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | seinen Verstand (die Vernunft) gebrauchend, statt sich von Emotionen leiten zu lassen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs vernünftig |
Where the eye mixes vernünftig and vernünftigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. vernünftig runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCCVC) against vernünftigen's 12 (CVCCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vernünftig with vernünftigen
A purely visual mix-up. vernünftig ([fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪç]) and vernünftigen ([fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪɡn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “vernünftig” sits inside “vernünftigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vernünftig is recorded at frequency rank #5,664, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪç]. vernünftigen is at rank #11,559, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnʏnftɪɡn̩].
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 17223, this pair ranks #1,929,290 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vernünftig vs vernünftigen
Shared letters: efginrtvü. Private to "vernünftig": -. Private to "vernünftigen": -.
"vernünftig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC · "vernünftigen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vernünftig" and "vernünftigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "vernünftig" vs "vernünftigen" - which ranks higher?
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 "vernünftig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vernünftigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,929,290 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vernünftig" and "vernünftigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vernünftigen vs vernünftiges". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,929,290 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.