Which to use
“zunehmen” is a verb and “zunehmend” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,291
- “zunehmen” frequency rank
- #2,939
- “zunehmend” frequency rank
- 16230
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zunehmen | zunehmend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | größer werden | mehr in Zahl, Menge oder Häufigkeit werdend, sich vergrößernd, ansteigend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zunehmen and zunehmend apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zunehmen is [ˈt͡suːˌneːmən] while zunehmend is [ˈt͡suːneːmənt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “zunehmen” sits inside “zunehmend”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16230, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zunehmen is recorded at frequency rank #13,291, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌneːmən]. zunehmend is at rank #2,939, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈt͡suːneːmənt].
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 16230, this pair ranks #1,937,522 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zunehmen vs zunehmend
Shared letters: ehmnuz. Private to "zunehmen": -. Private to "zunehmend": d.
"zunehmen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "zunehmend" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "zunehmen" and "zunehmend" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "zunehmen" or "zunehmend"?
Remembering zunehmen vs zunehmend
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “zunehmen”; for an adverb, it's “zunehmend”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zunehmen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable