Which to use
“verschärfen” is a verb and “verschärften” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,828
- “verschärfen” frequency rank
- #35,522
- “verschärften” frequency rank
- 57350
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verschärfen | verschärften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas strenger machen, etwas rigoroser machen; auch: etwas erhöhen, etwas steigern; auch: etwas verschlechtern | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs verschärft |
Where the eye mixes verschärfen and verschärften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. verschärfen runs 11 letters (CVCCCCVCCVC) against verschärften's 12 (CVCCCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verschärfen with verschärften
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verschärfen is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁfn̩] while verschärften is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁftn̩]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57350, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verschärfen is recorded at frequency rank #21,828, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁfn̩]. verschärften is at rank #35,522, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁftn̩].
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 57350, this pair ranks #904,703 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verschärfen vs verschärften
Shared letters: cefhnrsvä. Private to "verschärfen": -. Private to "verschärften": t.
"verschärfen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "verschärften" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verschärfen" and "verschärften" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "verschärfen" vs "verschärften" - 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 "verschärfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verschärften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #904,703 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verschärfen" and "verschärften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verschafften vs verschärften". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #904,703 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.