Which to use
“verteidigen” is a verb and “Verteidigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,625
- “verteidigen” frequency rank
- #3,496
- “Verteidigung” frequency rank
- 7121
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verteidigen | Verteidigung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Angriff abwehren | Rechtfertigung, Abwehr von/Verwahrung gegen Kritik |
Where the eye mixes verteidigen and Verteidigung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. verteidigen runs 11 letters (CVCCVVCVCVC) against Verteidigung's 12 (CVCCVVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between verteidigen and Verteidigung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verteidigen is [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯dɪɡn̩] while Verteidigung is [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯dɪɡʊŋ]. 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 7121, 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]. Verteidigung is at rank #3,496, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯dɪɡʊŋ].
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 7121, this pair ranks #1,989,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verteidigen vs Verteidigung
Shared letters: deginrtv. Private to "verteidigen": -. Private to "Verteidigung": u.
"verteidigen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVC · "Verteidigung" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verteidigen ← evrteidigen · veretidigen · verrteidigen · vertediigen · verteiddigen · verteidgien · verteidiegn · verteidigenn
- Verteidigung ← evrteidigung · veretidigung · verrteidigung · vertediigung · verteiddigung · verteidgiung · verteidiggung · verteidignug
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "verteidigen" and "Verteidigung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "verteidigen" vs "Verteidigung" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "verteidigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Verteidigung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,989,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verteidigen" and "Verteidigung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verteidigen 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 #1,989,309 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.