vertiefenvsVertiefungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#18,751
“vertiefen” frequency rank
#20,115
“Vertiefung” frequency rank
38866
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vertiefen Vertiefung
Definition bei etwas, das nach unten, in die Tiefe geht, noch mehr Substanz entfernen, wodurch es noch tiefer als zuvor wird das gedankliche Vertiefen durch intensive Beschäftigung mit etwas

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
vertiefen
10 ch
Vertiefung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vertiefen is [fɛɐ̯ˈtiːfn̩] while Vertiefung is [fɛɐ̯ˈtiːfʊŋ]. 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 38866, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vertiefen is recorded at frequency rank #18,751, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtiːfn̩]. Vertiefung is at rank #20,115, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtiːfʊŋ].

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 38866, this pair ranks #1,552,546 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vertiefen vs Vertiefung

Shared letters: efinrtv. Private to "vertiefen": -. Private to "Vertiefung": gu.

"vertiefen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC  ·  "Vertiefung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vertiefenevrtiefen · veritefen · verrtiefen · verteifen · vertieefn · vertiefenn · vertieffen · vertiefne
  • Vertiefungevrtiefung · veritefung · verrtiefung · verteifung · vertieffung · vertiefnug · vertiefugn · vertiefungg

Frequency comparison

vertiefen#18,751
Vertiefung#20,115

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vertiefen" and "Vertiefung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vertiefen" is a verb and "Vertiefung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vertiefen" or "Vertiefung"?
"vertiefen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,751 in our German list, against #20,115 for "Vertiefung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vertiefen vs Vertiefung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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