Which to use
“verbauen” and “versäumen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,856
- “verbauen” frequency rank
- #33,378
- “versäumen” frequency rank
- 71234
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verbauen | versäumen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Material/Geld für einen Bau verbrauchen | etwas, das erforderlich wäre, nicht tun |
Where the eye mixes verbauen and versäumen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. verbauen runs 8 letters (CVCCVVVC) against versäumen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: verbauen vs versäumen
A purely visual mix-up. verbauen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbaʊ̯ən]) and versäumen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71234, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verbauen is recorded at frequency rank #37,856, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbaʊ̯ən]. versäumen is at rank #33,378, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən].
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 71234, this pair ranks #422,690 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of verbauen vs versäumen
Shared letters: enruv. Private to "verbauen": ab. Private to "versäumen": msä.
"verbauen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVVC · "versäumen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verbauen ← evrbauen · vebrauen · verabuen · verbaeun · verbauenn · verbaune · verbbauen · verbuaen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verbauen" and "versäumen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verbauen" or "versäumen"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "verbauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versäumen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #422,690 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verbauen" and "versäumen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verbauen vs Vergaben". 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 #422,690 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.