verbogenvsversagenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,920
“verbogen” frequency rank
#6,119
“versagen” frequency rank
47039
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verbogen versagen
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verbiegen nicht so funktionieren, wie es geplant war oder üblich ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verbogen and versagen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
verbogen
8 ch
versagen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verbogen ([fɛɐ̯ˈboːɡn̩]) and versagen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩]) 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 47039, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verbogen is recorded at frequency rank #40,920, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈboːɡn̩]. versagen is at rank #6,119, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩].

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 47039, this pair ranks #1,298,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verbogen vs versagen

Shared letters: egnrv. Private to "verbogen": bo. Private to "versagen": as.

"verbogen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "versagen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verbogenevrbogen · vebrogen · verbbogen · verbgoen · verboegn · verbogenn · verboggen · verbogne
  • versagenevrsagen · verasgen · verrsagen · versaegn · versagenn · versaggen · versagne · versgaen

Frequency comparison

verbogen#40,920
versagen#6,119

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verbogen" and "versagen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈboːɡn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verbogen" or "versagen"?
"versagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,119 in our German list, against #40,920 for "verbogen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verbogen vs versagen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verbogen” 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