Which to use
“verfehlen” and “vergehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,213
- “verfehlen” frequency rank
- #6,606
- “vergehen” frequency rank
- 32819
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verfehlen | vergehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Ziel nicht treffen, nicht erreichen | (rasch) zu Ende kommen |
Where the eye mixes verfehlen and vergehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. verfehlen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against vergehen's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verfehlen with vergehen
A purely visual mix-up. verfehlen ([fɛɐ̯ˈfeːlən]) 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 32819, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verfehlen is recorded at frequency rank #26,213, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈfeːlən]. 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 32819, this pair ranks #1,699,377 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verfehlen vs vergehen
Shared letters: ehnrv. Private to "verfehlen": fl. Private to "vergehen": g.
"verfehlen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "vergehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verfehlen" for "vergehen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "verfehlen" or "vergehen" show up more?
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 "verfehlen" 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 #1,699,377 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verfehlen" and "vergehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verfehlen vs verfehlten". 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 #1,699,377 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.