verwendenvsVerwendungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#1,998
“verwenden” frequency rank
#1,645
“Verwendung” frequency rank
3643
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verwenden Verwendung
Definition etwas benutzen, zu einem bestimmten Zweck einsetzen das Gebrauchen von etwas, damit es seinen Zweck erfüllt

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
verwenden
10 ch
Verwendung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verwenden is [fɛɐ̯ˈvɛndn̩] while Verwendung is [fɛɐ̯ˈvɛndʊŋ]. 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 3643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verwenden is recorded at frequency rank #1,998, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvɛndn̩]. Verwendung is at rank #1,645, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvɛndʊŋ].

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 3643, this pair ranks #1,999,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verwenden vs Verwendung

Shared letters: denrvw. Private to "verwenden": -. Private to "Verwendung": gu.

"verwenden" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "Verwendung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verwendenevrwenden · verewnden · verrwenden · verwednen · verwendden · verwendenn · verwendne · verwenedn
  • Verwendungevrwendung · verewndung · verrwendung · verwednung · verwenddung · verwendnug · verwendugn · verwendungg

Frequency comparison

verwenden#1,998
Verwendung#1,645

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verwenden" and "Verwendung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verwenden" is a verb and "Verwendung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "verwenden" or "Verwendung"?
"Verwendung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,645 in our German list, against #1,998 for "verwenden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verwenden vs Verwendung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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