würgenvswürzeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,877
“würgen” frequency rank
#28,953
“würze” frequency rank
58830
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature würgen würze
Definition jemandem die Kehle zudrücken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs würzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set würgen and würze apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
würgen
5 ch
würze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. würgen ([ˈvʏʁɡn̩]) and würze ([ˈvʏʁt͡sə]) 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 58830, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

würgen is recorded at frequency rank #29,877, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁɡn̩]. würze is at rank #28,953, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁt͡sə].

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 58830, this pair ranks #847,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of würgen vs würze

Shared letters: erwü. Private to "würgen": gn. Private to "würze": z.

"würgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "würze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

würgen#29,877
würze#28,953

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "würgen" and "würze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvʏʁɡn̩] versus [ˈvʏʁt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "würgen" or "würze"?
"würze" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,953 in our German list, against #29,877 for "würgen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering würgen vs würze

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 “würgen” 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