VerbenvsVerbotTell them apart

Which to use

“Verben” and “Verbot” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#20,448
“Verben” frequency rank
#2,794
“Verbot” frequency rank
23242
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Verben Verbot
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Verb strenge Aufforderung, eine Handlung oder Tätigkeit zu unterlassen

Where the eye mixes Verben and Verbot

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Verben
6 ch
Verbot

Why the eye confuses Verben with Verbot

A purely visual mix-up. Verben ([ˈvɛʁbn̩]) and Verbot ([fɛɐ̯ˈboːt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23242, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Verben is recorded at frequency rank #20,448, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɛʁbn̩]. Verbot is at rank #2,794, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈboːt].

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 23242, this pair ranks #1,863,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Verben vs Verbot

Shared letters: berv. Private to "Verben": n. Private to "Verbot": ot.

"Verben" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Verbot" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Verbenevrben · vebren · verbben · verbenn · verbne · verebn · verrben · vreben
  • Verbotevrbot · vebrot · verbbot · verbott · verbto · verobt · verrbot · vrebot

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Verben" for "Verbot" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɛʁbn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈboːt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Verben" or "Verbot"?
"Verbot" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,794 in our German list, against #20,448 for "Verben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Verben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Verbot" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,863,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Verben" and "Verbot" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verben 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 #1,863,863 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list