zurückgebenvszurückgegebenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“zurückgeben” and “zurückgegeben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,008
“zurückgeben” frequency rank
#15,277
“zurückgegeben” frequency rank
27285
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature zurückgeben zurückgegeben
Definition einen Gegenstand wieder in den Besitz der Person geben, die den Gegenstand zuvor hatte, beziehungsweise wieder in den Besitz des Eigentümers geben Partizip Perfekt des Verbs zurückgeben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set zurückgeben and zurückgegeben apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
zurückgeben
13 ch
zurückgegeben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. zurückgeben ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːbn̩]) and zurückgegeben ([t͡suˈʁʏkɡəˌɡeːbn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27285, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

zurückgeben is recorded at frequency rank #12,008, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːbn̩]. zurückgegeben is at rank #15,277, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkɡəˌɡeːbn̩].

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 27285, this pair ranks #1,804,262 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of zurückgeben vs zurückgegeben

Shared letters: bcegknruzü. Private to "zurückgeben": -. Private to "zurückgegeben": -.

"zurückgeben" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC  ·  "zurückgegeben" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

zurückgeben#12,008
zurückgegeben#15,277

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "zurückgeben" and "zurückgegeben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t͡suˈʁʏkˌɡeːbn̩] versus [t͡suˈʁʏkɡəˌɡeːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "zurückgeben" or "zurückgegeben"?
"zurückgeben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,008 in our German list, against #15,277 for "zurückgegeben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering zurückgeben vs zurückgegeben

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “zurückgeben” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list