Which to use
“zusammenhängen” is a verb and “zusammenhängende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,530
- “zusammenhängen” frequency rank
- #23,805
- “zusammenhängende” frequency rank
- 37335
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zusammenhängen | zusammenhängende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | seinen Grund in etwas haben; in einer Beziehung zu etwas anderem, Genannten stehen; so miteinander verbunden sein, dass eine wechselseitige Abhängigkeit vorhanden ist | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zusammenhängend |
Where the eye mixes zusammenhängen and zusammenhängende
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 14 letters in sequence. zusammenhängen runs 14 letters (CVCVCCVCCVCCVC) against zusammenhängende's 16 (CVCVCCVCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses zusammenhängen with zusammenhängende
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zusammenhängen is [t͡suˈzamənˌhɛŋən] while zusammenhängende is [t͡suˈzamənˌhɛŋəndə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “zusammenhängen” sits inside “zusammenhängende”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zusammenhängen is recorded at frequency rank #13,530, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈzamənˌhɛŋən]. zusammenhängende is at rank #23,805, tagged as anadj, pronounced [t͡suˈzamənˌhɛŋəndə].
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 37335, this pair ranks #1,592,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zusammenhängen vs zusammenhängende
Shared letters: aeghmnsuzä. Private to "zusammenhängen": -. Private to "zusammenhängende": d.
"zusammenhängen" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVCCVC · "zusammenhängende" · 16 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zusammenhängen" for "zusammenhängende" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "zusammenhängen" or "zusammenhängende" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zusammenhängen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zusammenhängende" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,592,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zusammenhängen" and "zusammenhängende" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zusammenhängende vs zusammenhängenden". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,592,904 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.