Which to use
“Vergaben” is a noun and “vergebens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,085
- “Vergaben” frequency rank
- #16,862
- “vergebens” frequency rank
- 63947
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vergaben | vergebens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vergabe | zu keinem Erfolg führend |
Where the eye mixes Vergaben and vergebens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Vergaben with vergebens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Vergaben is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡaːbn̩] while vergebens is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vergaben is recorded at frequency rank #47,085, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡaːbn̩]. vergebens is at rank #16,862, tagged as anadv, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbn̩s].
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 63947, this pair ranks #658,736 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Vergaben vs vergebens
Shared letters: begnrv. Private to "Vergaben": a. Private to "vergebens": s.
"Vergaben" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "vergebens" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Vergaben" and "vergebens" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Vergaben" vs "vergebens" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Vergaben" and "vergebens" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Vergaben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vergebens" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #658,736 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vergaben" and "vergebens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergaben vs vergebe". 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 #658,736 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.