VerengungvsVersenkungTell them apart

Which to use

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

#47,083
“Verengung” frequency rank
#25,384
“Versenkung” frequency rank
72467
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Verengung Versenkung
Definition der Vorgang des Sichverengens Handlung, mit der erreicht wird, dass ein Schiff oder ein anderer Gegenstand nicht mehr auf dem/im Wasser schwimmen kann

Where the eye mixes Verengung and Versenkung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Verengung runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVCC) against Versenkung's 10 (CVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Verengung
10 ch
Versenkung

Visual trap between Verengung and Versenkung

A purely visual mix-up. Verengung ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔɛŋʊŋ]) and Versenkung ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkʊŋ]) 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 72467, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Verengung is recorded at frequency rank #47,083, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔɛŋʊŋ]. Versenkung is at rank #25,384, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkʊŋ].

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 72467, this pair ranks #387,566 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Verengung vs Versenkung

Shared letters: egnruv. Private to "Verengung": -. Private to "Versenkung": ks.

"Verengung" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC  ·  "Versenkung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Verengung ← evrengung · veerngung · veregnung · verenggung · verengnug · verengugn · verengungg · verengunng
  • Versenkung ← evrsenkung · veresnkung · verrsenkung · verseknung · versenkkung · versenknug · versenkugn · versenkungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Verengung" for "Versenkung" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔɛŋʊŋ] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Verengung" vs "Versenkung" - which ranks higher?
"Versenkung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,384 in our German list, against #47,083 for "Verengung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Verengung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Versenkung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #387,566 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Verengung" and "Versenkung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verengung vs Verhängung". 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 #387,566 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