Which to use
“Zustand” is a noun and “zuständig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,407
- “Zustand” frequency rank
- #3,013
- “zuständig” frequency rank
- 4420
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Zustand | zuständig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Art und Weise, wie etwas zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt ist | verantwortlich für etwas |
Where the eye mixes Zustand and zuständig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Zustand runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against zuständig's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Zustand with zuständig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Zustand is [ˈt͡suːˌʃtant] while zuständig is [ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4420, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Zustand is recorded at frequency rank #1,407, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌʃtant]. zuständig is at rank #3,013, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndɪç].
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 4420, this pair ranks #1,997,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Zustand vs zuständig
Shared letters: dnstuz. Private to "Zustand": a. Private to "zuständig": giä.
"Zustand" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "zuständig" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Zustand ← uzstand · zsutand · zusatnd · zusstand · zustadn · zustandd · zustannd · zustnad
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Zustand" and "zuständig" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Zustand" or "zuständig" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Zustand" and "zuständig" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Zustand" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zuständig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,997,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Zustand" and "zuständig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zuständig vs Zustands". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,997,765 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.