verschlechternvsverschlechtertWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“verschlechtern” and “verschlechtert” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#28,913
“verschlechtern” frequency rank
#16,035
“verschlechtert” frequency rank
44948
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verschlechtern verschlechtert
Definition schlechter machen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verschlechtern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verschlechtern and verschlechtert apart are highlighted. They share 13 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

14 ch
verschlechtern
14 ch
verschlechtert

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verschlechtern ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐn]) and verschlechtert ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐt]) 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 a single letter - n in “verschlechtern” becomes t in “verschlechtert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44948, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verschlechtern is recorded at frequency rank #28,913, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐn]. verschlechtert is at rank #16,035, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐt].

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 44948, this pair ranks #1,369,397 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verschlechtern vs verschlechtert

Shared letters: cehlrstv. Private to "verschlechtern": n. Private to "verschlechtert": -.

"verschlechtern" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCCCVCC  ·  "verschlechtert" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verschlechternevrschlechtern · vercshlechtern · verrschlechtern · verscchlechtern · verschelchtern · verschhlechtern · verschlcehtern · verschlecchtern
  • verschlechtertevrschlechtert · vercshlechtert · verrschlechtert · verscchlechtert · verschelchtert · verschhlechtert · verschlcehtert · verschlecchtert

Frequency comparison

verschlechtern#28,913
verschlechtert#16,035

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verschlechtern" and "verschlechtert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐn] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verschlechtern" or "verschlechtert"?
"verschlechtert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,035 in our German list, against #28,913 for "verschlechtern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verschlechtern vs verschlechtert

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verschlechtern” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list