verschlüsselnvsVerschlüsselungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#39,695
“verschlüsseln” frequency rank
#13,056
“Verschlüsselung” frequency rank
52751
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verschlüsseln Verschlüsselung
Definition eine Nachricht so verändern, dass sie nur noch verstanden werden kann, wenn man die Maßnahmen (den Code) kennt, mit denen sie verändert wurde Umwandlung einer lesbaren Information mittels eines Verfahrens in eine nur mit einem Schlüssel lesbare Form

Where the spellings diverge

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

13 ch
verschlüsseln
15 ch
Verschlüsselung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verschlüsseln is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlʏsl̩n] while Verschlüsselung is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlʏsəlʊŋ]. 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 52751, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verschlüsseln is recorded at frequency rank #39,695, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlʏsl̩n]. Verschlüsselung is at rank #13,056, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃlʏsəlʊŋ].

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 52751, this pair ranks #1,084,661 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verschlüsseln vs Verschlüsselung

Shared letters: cehlnrsvü. Private to "verschlüsseln": -. Private to "Verschlüsselung": gu.

"verschlüsseln" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Verschlüsselung" · 15 letters · shape CVCCCCCVCCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

verschlüsseln#39,695
Verschlüsselung#13,056

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verschlüsseln" and "Verschlüsselung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verschlüsseln" is a verb and "Verschlüsselung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "verschlüsseln" or "Verschlüsselung"?
"Verschlüsselung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,056 in our German list, against #39,695 for "verschlüsseln". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verschlüsseln vs Verschlüsselung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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