Which to use
“zerlegen” is a verb and “Zerlegung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,132
- “zerlegen” frequency rank
- #43,653
- “Zerlegung” frequency rank
- 64785
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zerlegen | Zerlegung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas in seine Komponenten aufteilen, in seine Einzelteile auflösen | Aufteilung in meist vorher schon getrennt vorliegende Bestandteile |
Where the eye mixes zerlegen and Zerlegung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. zerlegen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against Zerlegung's 9 (CVCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zerlegen with Zerlegung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zerlegen is [ˌt͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːɡn̩] while Zerlegung is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːɡʊŋ]. 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 64785, 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]. Zerlegung is at rank #43,653, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈleːɡʊŋ].
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 64785, this pair ranks #629,348 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zerlegen vs Zerlegung
Shared letters: eglnrz. Private to "zerlegen": -. Private to "Zerlegung": u.
"zerlegen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "Zerlegung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zerlegen" and "Zerlegung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "zerlegen" or "Zerlegung"?
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 "zerlegen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zerlegung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #629,348 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zerlegen" and "Zerlegung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zergehen vs zerlegen". Nearby pair
- 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 #629,348 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.