Which to use
“würdigen” is a verb and “Würdigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,637
- “würdigen” frequency rank
- #15,004
- “Würdigung” frequency rank
- 27641
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | würdigen | Würdigung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandes Leistung anerkennen, jemanden öffentlich wertschätzen und loben | Anerkennung/Wertschätzung jemandes Leistung |
Where the eye mixes würdigen and Würdigung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. würdigen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against Würdigung's 9 (CVCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between würdigen and Würdigung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: würdigen is [ˈvʏʁdɪɡn̩] while Würdigung is [ˈvʏʁdɪɡʊŋ]. 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 27641, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
würdigen is recorded at frequency rank #12,637, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁdɪɡn̩]. Würdigung is at rank #15,004, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈvʏʁdɪɡʊŋ].
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 27641, this pair ranks #1,798,431 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of würdigen vs Würdigung
Shared letters: dginrwü. Private to "würdigen": e. Private to "Würdigung": u.
"würdigen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "Würdigung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "würdigen" for "Würdigung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "würdigen" or "Würdigung" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "würdigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Würdigung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,798,431 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "würdigen" and "Würdigung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "würdige vs würdigen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,798,431 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.