verstopfenvsVerstopfungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#44,335
“verstopfen” frequency rank
#29,402
“Verstopfung” frequency rank
73737
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verstopfen Verstopfung
Definition durch Hineinstopfen von etwas verschließen durch verhärteten Kot erschwerte Stuhlentleerung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verstopfen and Verstopfung apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
verstopfen
11 ch
Verstopfung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verstopfen is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɔp͡fn̩] while Verstopfung is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɔp͡fʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 73737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verstopfen is recorded at frequency rank #44,335, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɔp͡fn̩]. Verstopfung is at rank #29,402, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɔp͡fʊŋ].

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 73737, this pair ranks #352,239 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of verstopfen vs Verstopfung

Shared letters: efnoprstv. Private to "verstopfen": -. Private to "Verstopfung": gu.

"verstopfen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "Verstopfung" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verstopfenevrstopfen · verrstopfen · versotpfen · versstopfen · verstofpen · verstopefn · verstopfenn · verstopffen
  • Verstopfungevrstopfung · verrstopfung · versotpfung · versstopfung · verstofpung · verstopffung · verstopfnug · verstopfugn

Frequency comparison

verstopfen#44,335
Verstopfung#29,402

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verstopfen" and "Verstopfung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verstopfen" is a verb and "Verstopfung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "verstopfen" or "Verstopfung"?
"Verstopfung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,402 in our German list, against #44,335 for "verstopfen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verstopfen vs Verstopfung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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