verschlechternvsVerschlechterungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: verschlechtern is a verb, Verschlechterung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“verschlechtern” is a verb and “Verschlechterung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,913
“verschlechtern” frequency rank
#17,759
“Verschlechterung” frequency rank
46672
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verschlechtern Verschlechterung
Definition schlechter machen Zustandsänderung zum Schlechten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verschlechtern and Verschlechterung apart are highlighted. They share 14 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

14 ch
verschlechtern
16 ch
Verschlechterung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verschlechtern is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐn] while Verschlechterung is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtəʁʊŋ]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46672, 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]. Verschlechterung is at rank #17,759, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtəʁʊŋ].

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 46672, this pair ranks #1,311,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verschlechtern vs Verschlechterung

Shared letters: cehlnrstv. Private to "verschlechtern": -. Private to "Verschlechterung": gu.

"verschlechtern" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCCCVCC  ·  "Verschlechterung" · 16 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verschlechternevrschlechtern · vercshlechtern · verrschlechtern · verscchlechtern · verschelchtern · verschhlechtern · verschlcehtern · verschlecchtern
  • Verschlechterungevrschlechterung · vercshlechterung · verrschlechterung · verscchlechterung · verschelchterung · verschhlechterung · verschlcehterung · verschlecchterung

Frequency comparison

verschlechtern#28,913
Verschlechterung#17,759

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verschlechtern" and "Verschlechterung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verschlechtern" is a verb and "Verschlechterung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "verschlechtern" or "Verschlechterung"?
"Verschlechterung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,759 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 Verschlechterung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “verschlechtern”; for a noun, it's “Verschlechterung”.
  • 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