Which to use
“verdauen” and “verlaufen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,559
- “verdauen” frequency rank
- #5,126
- “verlaufen” frequency rank
- 29685
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verdauen | verlaufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nahrung mit Hilfe der Verdauungsorgane in solche für den Körper verwertbare Bestandteile zerlegen | irgendwohin gehen und sich dabei verirren |
Where the eye mixes verdauen and verlaufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. verdauen runs 8 letters (CVCCVVVC) against verlaufen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verdauen with verlaufen
A purely visual mix-up. verdauen ([fɛɐ̯ˈdaʊ̯ən]) and verlaufen ([fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯fn̩]) 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 29685, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verdauen is recorded at frequency rank #24,559, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdaʊ̯ən]. verlaufen is at rank #5,126, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯fn̩].
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 29685, this pair ranks #1,762,181 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verdauen vs verlaufen
Shared letters: aenruv. Private to "verdauen": d. Private to "verlaufen": fl.
"verdauen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVVC · "verlaufen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verdauen" and "verlaufen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "verdauen" vs "verlaufen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verdauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verlaufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,762,181 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verdauen" and "verlaufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verdauen vs Vergaben". 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 #1,762,181 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.