Which to use
“verbieten” and “vergiften” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,229
- “verbieten” frequency rank
- #24,560
- “vergiften” frequency rank
- 29789
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verbieten | vergiften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Unterlassung fordern | etwas mit Gift versehen |
Where the eye mixes verbieten and vergiften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. verbieten (CVCCVVCVC) and vergiften (CVCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses verbieten with vergiften
A purely visual mix-up. verbieten ([fɛɐ̯ˈbiːtn̩]) and vergiften ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftn̩]) 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 29789, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verbieten is recorded at frequency rank #5,229, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbiːtn̩]. vergiften is at rank #24,560, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftn̩].
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 29789, this pair ranks #1,760,279 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verbieten vs vergiften
Shared letters: einrtv. Private to "verbieten": b. Private to "vergiften": fg.
"verbieten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "vergiften" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verbieten" and "vergiften" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verbieten" or "vergiften"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "verbieten" and "vergiften" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "verbieten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vergiften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,760,279 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verbieten" and "vergiften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vergiften vs vergifteten". 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 #1,760,279 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.