VerdrängungvsVerhängungTell them apart

Which to use

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

#21,462
“Verdrängung” frequency rank
#41,540
“Verhängung” frequency rank
63002
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Verdrängung Verhängung
Definition Vertreibung von Personen Anordnung einer Buße oder Strafe

Where the eye mixes Verdrängung and Verhängung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Verdrängung runs 11 letters (CVCCCVCCVCC) against Verhängung's 10 (CVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
Verdrängung
10 ch
Verhängung

Look-alike desk: Verdrängung vs Verhängung

A purely visual mix-up. Verdrängung ([fɛɐ̯ˈdʁɛŋʊŋ]) and Verhängung ([fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋʊŋ]) 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 63002, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Verdrängung is recorded at frequency rank #21,462, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdʁɛŋʊŋ]. Verhängung is at rank #41,540, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋʊŋ].

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 63002, this pair ranks #692,358 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Verdrängung vs Verhängung

Shared letters: egnruvä. Private to "Verdrängung": d. Private to "Verhängung": h.

"Verdrängung" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Verhängung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Verdrängung" and "Verhängung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈdʁɛŋʊŋ] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Verdrängung" vs "Verhängung" - which ranks higher?
"Verdrängung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,462 in our German list, against #41,540 for "Verhängung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Verdrängung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Verhängung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #692,358 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Verdrängung" and "Verhängung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verengung vs Verhängung". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #692,358 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