Which to use
“Verunreinigung” and “Verunreinigungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,235
- “Verunreinigung” frequency rank
- #27,120
- “Verunreinigungen” frequency rank
- 69355
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Verunreinigung | Verunreinigungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zustand und Vorgang des Kontaminierens/des Verunreinigens | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Verunreinigung |
Where the eye mixes Verunreinigung and Verunreinigungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 14 letters in sequence. Verunreinigung runs 14 letters (CVCVCCVVCVCVCC) against Verunreinigungen's 16 (CVCVCCVVCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Verunreinigung with Verunreinigungen
A purely visual mix-up. Verunreinigung ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔʊnˌʁaɪ̯nɪɡʊŋ]) and Verunreinigungen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔʊnʁaɪ̯nɪɡʊŋən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Verunreinigung” sits inside “Verunreinigungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69355, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Verunreinigung is recorded at frequency rank #42,235, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔʊnˌʁaɪ̯nɪɡʊŋ]. Verunreinigungen is at rank #27,120, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔʊnʁaɪ̯nɪɡʊŋən].
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 69355, this pair ranks #479,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Verunreinigung vs Verunreinigungen
Shared letters: eginruv. Private to "Verunreinigung": -. Private to "Verunreinigungen": -.
"Verunreinigung" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVCVCC · "Verunreinigungen" · 16 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Verunreinigung ← evrunreinigung · vernureinigung · verrunreinigung · verunerinigung · verunnreinigung · verunreiingung · verunreingiung · verunreiniggung
- Verunreinigungen ← evrunreinigungen · vernureinigungen · verrunreinigungen · verunerinigungen · verunnreinigungen · verunreiingungen · verunreingiungen · verunreiniggungen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Verunreinigung" and "Verunreinigungen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Verunreinigung" vs "Verunreinigungen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Verunreinigung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Verunreinigungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #479,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- 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 #479,124 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.