zerlegenvszerlegtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,132
“zerlegen” frequency rank
#12,844
“zerlegt” frequency rank
33976
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zerlegen zerlegt
Definition etwas in seine Komponenten aufteilen, in seine Einzelteile auflösen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zerlegen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zerlegen and zerlegt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
zerlegen
7 ch
zerlegt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zerlegen ([ˌt͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːɡn̩]) and zerlegt ([ˌt͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːkt]) 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 33976, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zerlegen is recorded at frequency rank #21,132, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌt͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːɡn̩]. zerlegt is at rank #12,844, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌt͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːkt].

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 33976, this pair ranks #1,673,831 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zerlegen vs zerlegt

Shared letters: eglrz. Private to "zerlegen": n. Private to "zerlegt": t.

"zerlegen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "zerlegt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • zerlegenezrlegen · zelregen · zerelgen · zerleegn · zerlegenn · zerleggen · zerlegne · zerlgeen
  • zerlegtezrlegt · zelregt · zerelgt · zerleggt · zerlegtt · zerletg · zerlget · zerllegt

Frequency comparison

zerlegen#21,132
zerlegt#12,844

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zerlegen" and "zerlegt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌt͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːɡn̩] versus [ˌt͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zerlegen" or "zerlegt"?
"zerlegt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,844 in our German list, against #21,132 for "zerlegen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zerlegen vs zerlegt

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 “zerlegen” 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