ZuständenvszuständigenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Zuständen is a noun, zuständigen is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Zuständen” is a noun and “zuständigen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,095
“Zuständen” frequency rank
#4,953
“zuständigen” frequency rank
24048
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Zuständen zuständigen
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Zustand Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs zuständig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Zuständen and zuständigen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Zuständen
11 ch
zuständigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Zuständen is [ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndn̩] while zuständigen is [ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndɪɡn̩]. 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 24048, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Zuständen is recorded at frequency rank #19,095, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndn̩]. zuständigen is at rank #4,953, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndɪɡn̩].

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 24048, this pair ranks #1,853,053 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Zuständen vs zuständigen

Shared letters: denstuzä. Private to "Zuständen": -. Private to "zuständigen": gi.

"Zuständen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "zuständigen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

Zuständen#19,095
zuständigen#4,953

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Zuständen" and "zuständigen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Zuständen" is a noun and "zuständigen" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Zuständen" or "zuständigen"?
"zuständigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,953 in our German list, against #19,095 for "Zuständen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Zuständen vs zuständigen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Zuständen”; for an adjective, it's “zuständigen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Zuständen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list