voraussetzenvsVoraussetzungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#31,869
“voraussetzen” frequency rank
#4,084
“Voraussetzung” frequency rank
35953
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature voraussetzen Voraussetzung
Definition (ein Wissen/Kenntnisse) erwarten; annehmen, dass etwas so ist, wie gedacht eine Bedingung, die im Vorfeld erfüllt sein muss; etwas was benötigt wird, bevor etwas anderes eintreten kann

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set voraussetzen and Voraussetzung apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
voraussetzen
13 ch
Voraussetzung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: voraussetzen is [foˈʁaʊ̯sˌzɛt͡sn̩] while Voraussetzung is [foˈʁaʊ̯szɛt͡sʊŋ]. 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 35953, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

voraussetzen is recorded at frequency rank #31,869, classified as averb, pronounced [foˈʁaʊ̯sˌzɛt͡sn̩]. Voraussetzung is at rank #4,084, tagged as anoun, pronounced [foˈʁaʊ̯szɛt͡sʊŋ].

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 35953, this pair ranks #1,627,535 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of voraussetzen vs Voraussetzung

Shared letters: aenorstuvz. Private to "voraussetzen": -. Private to "Voraussetzung": g.

"voraussetzen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCCVC  ·  "Voraussetzung" · 13 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • voraussetzenovraussetzen · voarussetzen · vorasusetzen · vorausestzen · vorausetzen · voraussetezn · voraussettzen · voraussetzenn
  • Voraussetzungovraussetzung · voarussetzung · vorasusetzung · vorausestzung · vorausetzung · voraussettzung · voraussetuzng · voraussetznug

Frequency comparison

voraussetzen#31,869
Voraussetzung#4,084

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "voraussetzen" and "Voraussetzung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "voraussetzen" is a verb and "Voraussetzung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "voraussetzen" or "Voraussetzung"?
"Voraussetzung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,084 in our German list, against #31,869 for "voraussetzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering voraussetzen vs Voraussetzung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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