verschlechtertvsverschlechterteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: verschlechtert is a verb, verschlechterte is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“verschlechtert” is a verb and “verschlechterte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#16,035
“verschlechtert” frequency rank
#44,332
“verschlechterte” frequency rank
60367
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verschlechtert verschlechterte
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verschlechtern Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs verschlechtert

Where the spellings diverge

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

14 ch
verschlechtert
15 ch
verschlechterte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verschlechtert is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐt] while verschlechterte is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “verschlechtert” sits inside “verschlechterte”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60367, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verschlechtert is recorded at frequency rank #16,035, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐt]. verschlechterte is at rank #44,332, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlɛçtɐtə].

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 60367, this pair ranks #789,667 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verschlechtert vs verschlechterte

Shared letters: cehlrstv. Private to "verschlechtert": -. Private to "verschlechterte": -.

"verschlechtert" · 14 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCCCVCC  ·  "verschlechterte" · 15 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verschlechtertevrschlechtert · vercshlechtert · verrschlechtert · verscchlechtert · verschelchtert · verschhlechtert · verschlcehtert · verschlecchtert
  • verschlechterteevrschlechterte · vercshlechterte · verrschlechterte · verscchlechterte · verschelchterte · verschhlechterte · verschlcehterte · verschlecchterte

Frequency comparison

verschlechtert#16,035
verschlechterte#44,332

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verschlechtert" and "verschlechterte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verschlechtert" is a verb and "verschlechterte" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "verschlechtert" or "verschlechterte"?
"verschlechtert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,035 in our German list, against #44,332 for "verschlechterte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verschlechtert vs verschlechterte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “verschlechtert”; for an adjective, it's “verschlechterte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verschlechtert” 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