Which to use
“Vergabe” is a noun and “vergraben” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,765
- “Vergabe” frequency rank
- #17,755
- “vergraben” frequency rank
- 28520
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vergabe | vergraben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Übertragung von etwas an eine Person, Institution oder einen Betrieb (oder an mehrere) | ein Loch in die Erde, den Boden machen, etwas hineinlegen oder -werfen und das Loch wieder zuschütten |
Where the eye mixes Vergabe and vergraben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Vergabe runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against vergraben's 9 (CVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Vergabe with vergraben
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Vergabe is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡaːbə] while vergraben is [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaːbn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vergabe is recorded at frequency rank #10,765, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡaːbə]. vergraben is at rank #17,755, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaːbn̩].
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 28520, this pair ranks #1,783,288 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Vergabe vs vergraben
Shared letters: abegrv. Private to "Vergabe": -. Private to "vergraben": n.
"Vergabe" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "vergraben" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Vergabe" and "vergraben" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Vergabe" vs "vergraben" - which ranks higher?
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 "Vergabe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vergraben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,783,288 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vergabe" and "vergraben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergaben vs vergraben". 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 #1,783,288 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.