Which to use
“verbrochen” and “versprochen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,336
- “verbrochen” frequency rank
- #4,237
- “versprochen” frequency rank
- 36573
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verbrochen | versprochen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verbrechen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs versprechen |
Where the eye mixes verbrochen and versprochen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses verbrochen with versprochen
A purely visual mix-up. verbrochen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɔxn̩]) and versprochen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɔxn̩]) 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 36573, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verbrochen is recorded at frequency rank #32,336, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɔxn̩]. versprochen is at rank #4,237, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɔxn̩].
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 36573, this pair ranks #1,612,128 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verbrochen vs versprochen
Shared letters: cehnorv. Private to "verbrochen": b. Private to "versprochen": ps.
"verbrochen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "versprochen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verbrochen ← evrbrochen · vebrrochen · verbbrochen · verborchen · verbrcohen · verbrocchen · verbrocehn · verbrochenn
- versprochen ← evrsprochen · verpsrochen · verrsprochen · versporchen · verspprochen · versprcohen · versprocchen · versprocehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verbrochen" for "versprochen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "verbrochen" or "versprochen" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "verbrochen" and "versprochen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "verbrochen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versprochen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,612,128 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verbrochen" and "versprochen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verbrechern vs verbrochen". 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 #1,612,128 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.