zerlegenvsZerlegungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: zerlegen is a verb, Zerlegung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zerlegen and Zerlegung apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
zerlegen
9 ch
Zerlegung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • zerlegenezrlegen · zelregen · zerelgen · zerleegn · zerlegenn · zerleggen · zerlegne · zerlgeen
  • Zerlegungezrlegung · zelregung · zerelgung · zerleggung · zerlegnug · zerlegugn · zerlegungg · zerlegunng

Frequency comparison

zerlegen#21,132
Zerlegung#43,653

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zerlegen" and "Zerlegung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "zerlegen" is a verb and "Zerlegung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "zerlegen" or "Zerlegung"?
"zerlegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,132 in our German list, against #43,653 for "Zerlegung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zerlegen vs Zerlegung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “zerlegen”; for a noun, it's “Zerlegung”.
  • 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