Which to use
“zuständig” is an adjective and “Zustands” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,013
- “zuständig” frequency rank
- #35,579
- “Zustands” frequency rank
- 38592
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zuständig | Zustands |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | verantwortlich für etwas | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Zustand |
Where the eye mixes zuständig and Zustands
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. zuständig runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against Zustands's 8 (CVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: zuständig vs Zustands
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: zuständig is [ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndɪç] while Zustands is [ˈt͡suːˌʃtant͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38592, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zuständig is recorded at frequency rank #3,013, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌʃtɛndɪç]. Zustands is at rank #35,579, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡suːˌʃtant͡s].
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 38592, this pair ranks #1,559,905 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of zuständig vs Zustands
Shared letters: dnstuz. Private to "zuständig": giä. Private to "Zustands": a.
"zuständig" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "Zustands" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Zustands ← uzstands · zsutands · zusatnds · zusstands · zustadns · zustandds · zustandss · zustannds
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "zuständig" for "Zustands" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "zuständig" or "Zustands" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "zuständig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Zustands" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,559,905 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zuständig" and "Zustands" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Zustandes 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 #1,559,905 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.