Which to use
“verbrechen” and “versprechen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,624
- “verbrechen” frequency rank
- #3,286
- “versprechen” frequency rank
- 5910
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verbrechen | versprechen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas Dummes, Unrechtes, Schlechtes tun | etwas verbindlich zusagen |
Where the eye mixes verbrechen and versprechen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between verbrechen and versprechen
A purely visual mix-up. verbrechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]) and versprechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɛçn̩]) 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 5910, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verbrechen is recorded at frequency rank #2,624, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]. versprechen is at rank #3,286, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɛçn̩].
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 5910, this pair ranks #1,993,332 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verbrechen vs versprechen
Shared letters: cehnrv. Private to "verbrechen": b. Private to "versprechen": ps.
"verbrechen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "versprechen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verbrechen ← evrbrechen · vebrrechen · verbbrechen · verberchen · verbrcehen · verbrecchen · verbrecehn · verbrechenn
- versprechen ← evrsprechen · verpsrechen · verrsprechen · versperchen · verspprechen · versprcehen · versprecchen · versprecehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "verbrechen" and "versprechen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "verbrechen" vs "versprechen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "verbrechen" and "versprechen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "verbrechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versprechen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,993,332 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verbrechen" and "versprechen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versprechen vs vorsprechen". 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 #1,993,332 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.