Which to use
“zerstöre” and “zerstören” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,398
- “zerstöre” frequency rank
- #4,090
- “zerstören” frequency rank
- 37488
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zerstöre | zerstören |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zerstören | etwas sehr stark beschädigen und (damit meist) unbrauchbar machen |
Where the eye mixes zerstöre and zerstören
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: zerstöre vs zerstören
A purely visual mix-up. zerstöre ([t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁə]) and zerstören ([t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁən]) 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) - “zerstöre” sits inside “zerstören”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37488, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zerstöre is recorded at frequency rank #33,398, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁə]. zerstören is at rank #4,090, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁən].
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 37488, this pair ranks #1,588,892 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zerstöre vs zerstören
Shared letters: erstzö. Private to "zerstöre": -. Private to "zerstören": n.
"zerstöre" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV · "zerstören" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zerstöre" for "zerstören" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zerstöre" or "zerstören"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zerstöre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zerstören" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,588,892 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zerstöre" and "zerstören" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zerstöre vs Zerstörer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,588,892 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.