würzevswürzenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,953
“würze” frequency rank
#29,878
“würzen” frequency rank
58831
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature würze würzen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs würzen den Geschmack von Speisen mit Hilfe verschiedenster Zutaten, zum Beispiel Kräutern, Salz, Pfeffer und Ähnlichem beeinflussen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set würze and würzen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
würze
6 ch
würzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. würze ([ˈvʏʁt͡sə]) and würzen ([ˈvʏʁt͡sn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “würze” sits inside “würzen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

würze is recorded at frequency rank #28,953, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁt͡sə]. würzen is at rank #29,878, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvʏʁt͡sn̩].

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 58831, this pair ranks #847,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of würze vs würzen

Shared letters: erwzü. Private to "würze": -. Private to "würzen": n.

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

Frequency comparison

würze#28,953
würzen#29,878

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "würze" and "würzen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvʏʁt͡sə] versus [ˈvʏʁt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "würze" or "würzen"?
"würze" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,953 in our German list, against #29,878 for "würzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering würze vs würzen

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 “würze” 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