Which to use
“zerstöre” is a verb and “zerstörte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,398
- “zerstöre” frequency rank
- #12,643
- “zerstörte” frequency rank
- 46041
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zerstöre | zerstörte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs zerstören | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs zerstört |
Where the eye mixes zerstöre and zerstörte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. zerstöre runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCV) against zerstörte's 9 (CVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between zerstöre and zerstörte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zerstöre is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁə] while zerstörte is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːɐ̯tə]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46041, 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]. zerstörte is at rank #12,643, tagged as anadj, pronounced [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːɐ̯tə].
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 46041, this pair ranks #1,332,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zerstöre vs zerstörte
Shared letters: erstzö. Private to "zerstöre": -. Private to "zerstörte": -.
"zerstöre" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV · "zerstörte" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zerstöre" for "zerstörte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "zerstöre" or "zerstörte" show up more?
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 "zerstöre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zerstörte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,332,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zerstöre" and "zerstörte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zerstöre vs Zerstörer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,332,557 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.