versuchenvsversuchterWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#788
“versuchen” frequency rank
#22,200
“versuchter” frequency rank
22988
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versuchen versuchter
Definition mit ungewissem Erfolg etwas beginnen, anstreben Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs versucht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set versuchen and versuchter apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
versuchen
10 ch
versuchter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: versuchen is [fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxn̩] while versuchter is [fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxtɐ]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22988, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versuchen is recorded at frequency rank #788, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxn̩]. versuchter is at rank #22,200, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxtɐ].

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 22988, this pair ranks #1,867,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of versuchen vs versuchter

Shared letters: cehrsuv. Private to "versuchen": n. Private to "versuchter": t.

"versuchen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "versuchter" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versuchenevrsuchen · verrsuchen · verscuhen · verssuchen · versucchen · versucehn · versuchenn · versuchhen
  • versuchterevrsuchter · verrsuchter · verscuhter · verssuchter · versucchter · versuchetr · versuchhter · versuchterr

Frequency comparison

versuchen#788
versuchter#22,200

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versuchen" and "versuchter" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "versuchen" is a verb and "versuchter" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "versuchen" or "versuchter"?
"versuchen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #788 in our German list, against #22,200 for "versuchter". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering versuchen vs versuchter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “versuchen”; for an adjective, it's “versuchter”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “versuchen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list