verdanktvsverdrängtWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#16,030
“verdankt” frequency rank
#8,961
“verdrängt” frequency rank
24991
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verdankt verdrängt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verdanken Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verdrängen

Where the eye mixes verdankt and verdrängt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. verdankt runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCC) against verdrängt's 9 (CVCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
verdankt
9 ch
verdrängt

Why the eye confuses verdankt with verdrängt

A purely visual mix-up. verdankt ([fɛɐ̯ˈdaŋkt]) and verdrängt ([fɛɐ̯ˈdʁɛŋt]) 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 24991, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verdankt is recorded at frequency rank #16,030, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdaŋkt]. verdrängt is at rank #8,961, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdʁɛŋt].

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 24991, this pair ranks #1,839,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verdankt vs verdrängt

Shared letters: denrtv. Private to "verdankt": ak. Private to "verdrängt": gä.

"verdankt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "verdrängt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verdankt ← evrdankt · vedrankt · veradnkt · verdaknt · verdankkt · verdanktt · verdannkt · verdantk

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verdankt" and "verdrängt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈdaŋkt] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈdʁɛŋt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verdankt" or "verdrängt"?
"verdrängt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,961 in our German list, against #16,030 for "verdankt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "verdankt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verdrängt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,839,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "verdankt" and "verdrängt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verdankt vs verdankte". 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 #1,839,686 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