widersetzenvswidersetztWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,242
“widersetzen” frequency rank
#31,369
“widersetzt” frequency rank
57611
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature widersetzen widersetzt
Definition einer Verhaltensaufforderung oder Regel nicht folgen, diese zurückweisen oder missachten 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs widersetzen

Where the eye mixes widersetzen and widersetzt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

11 ch
widersetzen
10 ch
widersetzt

Why the eye confuses widersetzen with widersetzt

A purely visual mix-up. widersetzen ([viːdɐˈzɛt͡sn̩]) and widersetzt ([ˌviːdɐˈzɛt͡st]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57611, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

widersetzen is recorded at frequency rank #26,242, classified as averb, pronounced [viːdɐˈzɛt͡sn̩]. widersetzt is at rank #31,369, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌviːdɐˈzɛt͡st].

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 57611, this pair ranks #894,724 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of widersetzen vs widersetzt

Shared letters: deirstwz. Private to "widersetzen": n. Private to "widersetzt": -.

"widersetzen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC  ·  "widersetzt" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • widersetzeniwdersetzen · wdiersetzen · widdersetzen · widerestzen · widerrsetzen · widersetezn · widersettzen · widersetzenn
  • widersetztiwdersetzt · wdiersetzt · widdersetzt · widerestzt · widerrsetzt · widersettz · widersettzt · widersetztt

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "widersetzen" and "widersetzt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([viːdɐˈzɛt͡sn̩] versus [ˌviːdɐˈzɛt͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "widersetzen" or "widersetzt" show up more?
"widersetzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,242 in our German list, against #31,369 for "widersetzt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "widersetzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "widersetzt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #894,724 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 #894,724 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list