Which to use
“zerstören” is a verb and “Zerstörung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,090
- “zerstören” frequency rank
- #4,755
- “Zerstörung” frequency rank
- 8845
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zerstören | Zerstörung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas sehr stark beschädigen und (damit meist) unbrauchbar machen | die Handlung, etwas zu zerstören (kaputt zu machen) |
Where the eye mixes zerstören and Zerstörung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between zerstören and Zerstörung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zerstören is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁən] while Zerstörung is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁʊŋ]. 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 8845, 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]. Zerstörung is at rank #4,755, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈʃtøːʁʊŋ].
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 8845, this pair ranks #1,982,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zerstören vs Zerstörung
Shared letters: enrstzö. Private to "zerstören": -. Private to "Zerstörung": gu.
"zerstören" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "Zerstörung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zerstören" for "Zerstörung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "zerstören" or "Zerstörung" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "zerstören" and "Zerstörung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "zerstören" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zerstörung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,982,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zerstören" and "Zerstörung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zerstöre vs zerstören". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,982,569 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.