Which to use
“verdrehen” and “vergehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,376
- “verdrehen” frequency rank
- #6,606
- “vergehen” frequency rank
- 31982
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verdrehen | vergehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Ausrichtung von etwas ändern | (rasch) zu Ende kommen |
Where the eye mixes verdrehen and vergehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. verdrehen runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCVC) against vergehen's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between verdrehen and vergehen
A purely visual mix-up. verdrehen ([fɛɐ̯ˈdʁeːən]) and vergehen ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːən]) 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 31982, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verdrehen is recorded at frequency rank #25,376, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈdʁeːən]. vergehen is at rank #6,606, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːən].
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 31982, this pair ranks #1,717,185 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verdrehen vs vergehen
Shared letters: ehnrv. Private to "verdrehen": d. Private to "vergehen": g.
"verdrehen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "vergehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verdrehen" and "vergehen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "verdrehen" vs "vergehen" - which ranks higher?
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 "verdrehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vergehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,717,185 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verdrehen" and "vergehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verdrehen vs verdrehte". 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 #1,717,185 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.