Which to use
“verzögern” is a verb and “verzögerte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,468
- “verzögern” frequency rank
- #29,406
- “verzögerte” frequency rank
- 50874
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verzögern | verzögerte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Ablauf unterbrechen, so dass ein bestimmtes Ereignis später eintrifft | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs verzögert |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verzögern and verzögerte apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verzögern is [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡søːɡɐn] while verzögerte is [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡søːɡɐtə]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50874, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verzögern is recorded at frequency rank #21,468, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡søːɡɐn]. verzögerte is at rank #29,406, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡søːɡɐtə].
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 50874, this pair ranks #1,157,024 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verzögern vs verzögerte
Shared letters: egrvzö. Private to "verzögern": n. Private to "verzögerte": t.
"verzögern" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC · "verzögerte" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verzögern" and "verzögerte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verzögern" or "verzögerte"?
Remembering verzögern vs verzögerte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “verzögern”; for an adjective, it's “verzögerte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verzögern” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable