Which to use
“verschärft” is a verb and “verschärfte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,563
- “verschärft” frequency rank
- #24,562
- “verschärfte” frequency rank
- 36125
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verschärft | verschärfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verschärfen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs verschärft |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verschärft and verschärfte apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verschärft is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁft] while verschärfte is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁftə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “verschärft” sits inside “verschärfte”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36125, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verschärft is recorded at frequency rank #11,563, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁft]. verschärfte is at rank #24,562, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁftə].
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 36125, this pair ranks #1,623,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verschärft vs verschärfte
Shared letters: cefhrstvä. Private to "verschärft": -. Private to "verschärfte": -.
"verschärft" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCC · "verschärfte" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verschärft" and "verschärfte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verschärft" or "verschärfte"?
Remembering verschärft vs verschärfte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “verschärft”; for an adjective, it's “verschärfte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verschärft” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable