VererbungvsVergebungTell them apart

Which to use

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

#37,862
“Vererbung” frequency rank
#16,580
“Vergebung” frequency rank
54442
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vererbung Vergebung
Definition Weitergabe von Merkmalen an die Nachkommen Akt des Verzeihens

Where the eye mixes Vererbung and Vergebung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Vererbung (CVCVCCVCC) and Vergebung (CVCCVCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

9 ch
Vererbung
9 ch
Vergebung

Visual trap between Vererbung and Vergebung

A purely visual mix-up. Vererbung ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔɛʁbʊŋ]) and Vergebung ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbʊŋ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vererbung is recorded at frequency rank #37,862, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔɛʁbʊŋ]. Vergebung is at rank #16,580, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbʊŋ].

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 54442, this pair ranks #1,018,714 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Vererbung vs Vergebung

Shared letters: begnruv. Private to "Vererbung": -. Private to "Vergebung": -.

"Vererbung" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC  ·  "Vergebung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vererbung ← evrerbung · veerrbung · verebrung · vererbbung · vererbnug · vererbugn · vererbungg · vererbunng
  • Vergebung ← evrgebung · vegrebung · veregbung · vergbeung · vergebbung · vergebnug · vergebugn · vergebungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vererbung" and "Vergebung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔɛʁbʊŋ] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Vererbung" vs "Vergebung" - which ranks higher?
"Vergebung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,580 in our German list, against #37,862 for "Vererbung". 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 "Vererbung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Vergebung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,018,714 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vererbung" and "Vergebung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verengung vs Vererbung". 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 #1,018,714 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