Which to use
“verteidigen” is a verb and “Verteidiger” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,625
- “verteidigen” frequency rank
- #6,989
- “Verteidiger” frequency rank
- 10614
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verteidigen | Verteidiger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Angriff abwehren | defensiv eingestellter Spieler, dessen Aufgabe es ist, das gegnerische Spiel zu stören, um anschließend das eigene Spiel wieder aufbauen zu können |
Where the eye mixes verteidigen and Verteidiger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. verteidigen and Verteidiger follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: verteidigen vs Verteidiger
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verteidigen is [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯dɪɡn̩] while Verteidiger is [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯dɪɡɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “verteidigen” becomes r in “Verteidiger”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10614, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verteidigen is recorded at frequency rank #3,625, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯dɪɡn̩]. Verteidiger is at rank #6,989, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯dɪɡɐ].
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 10614, this pair ranks #1,974,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verteidigen vs Verteidiger
Shared letters: degirtv. Private to "verteidigen": n. Private to "Verteidiger": -.
"verteidigen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVC · "Verteidiger" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verteidigen ← evrteidigen · veretidigen · verrteidigen · vertediigen · verteiddigen · verteidgien · verteidiegn · verteidigenn
- Verteidiger ← evrteidiger · veretidiger · verrteidiger · vertediiger · verteiddiger · verteidgier · verteidiegr · verteidigerr
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "verteidigen" and "Verteidiger" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "verteidigen" or "Verteidiger"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verteidigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Verteidiger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,974,252 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verteidigen" and "Verteidiger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verteidiger vs Verteidigers". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,974,252 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.