Which to use
“zerstören” is a verb and “zerstört” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,090
- “zerstören” frequency rank
- #1,835
- “zerstört” frequency rank
- 5925
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zerstören | zerstört |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas sehr stark beschädigen und (damit meist) unbrauchbar machen | gewaltsam und mutwillig kaputt gemacht |
Where the eye mixes zerstören and zerstört
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between zerstören and zerstört
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zerstören is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁən] while zerstört is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːɐ̯t]. 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 5925, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zerstören is recorded at frequency rank #4,090, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁən]. zerstört is at rank #1,835, tagged as anadj, pronounced [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːɐ̯t].
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 5925, this pair ranks #1,993,289 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zerstören vs zerstört
Shared letters: erstzö. Private to "zerstören": n. Private to "zerstört": -.
"zerstören" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "zerstört" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zerstören" for "zerstört" ever safe?
Which is more common, "zerstören" or "zerstört"?
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 "zerstören" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zerstört" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,993,289 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zerstören" and "zerstört" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zerstöre vs zerstören". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,993,289 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.