verwerfenvsverwertenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“verwerfen” and “verwerten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#36,099
“verwerfen” frequency rank
#23,359
“verwerten” frequency rank
59458
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verwerfen verwerten
Definition (nach reiflicher Überlegung) etwas aufgeben, nicht weiter verfolgen, weil es als nicht mehr annehmbar, brauchbar, durchführbar, geeignet, tauglich, realisierbar oder dergleichen befunden wird einer Nutzung zuführen

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
verwerfen
9 ch
verwerten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verwerfen ([fɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁfn̩]) and verwerten ([fɛɐ̯ˈveːɐ̯tn̩]) 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 a single letter - f in “verwerfen” becomes t in “verwerten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59458, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verwerfen is recorded at frequency rank #36,099, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁfn̩]. verwerten is at rank #23,359, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈveːɐ̯tn̩].

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 59458, this pair ranks #823,794 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verwerfen vs verwerten

Shared letters: enrvw. Private to "verwerfen": f. Private to "verwerten": t.

"verwerfen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "verwerten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verwerfenevrwerfen · verewrfen · verrwerfen · verwefren · verwerefn · verwerfenn · verwerffen · verwerfne
  • verwertenevrwerten · verewrten · verrwerten · verweretn · verwerrten · verwertenn · verwertne · verwertten

Frequency comparison

verwerfen#36,099
verwerten#23,359

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verwerfen" and "verwerten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁfn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈveːɐ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verwerfen" or "verwerten"?
"verwerten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,359 in our German list, against #36,099 for "verwerfen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verwerfen vs verwerten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verwerfen” 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