Which to use
“vergangen” is an adjective and “Verlagen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,001
- “vergangen” frequency rank
- #24,177
- “Verlagen” frequency rank
- 32178
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergangen | Verlagen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht mehr aktuell; in der Vergangenheit liegend | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Verlag |
Where the eye mixes vergangen and Verlagen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. vergangen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against Verlagen's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vergangen vs Verlagen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vergangen is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡaŋən] while Verlagen is [fɛɐ̯ˈlaːɡn̩]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32178, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vergangen is recorded at frequency rank #8,001, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡaŋən]. Verlagen is at rank #24,177, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlaːɡn̩].
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 32178, this pair ranks #1,713,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vergangen vs Verlagen
Shared letters: aegnrv. Private to "vergangen": -. Private to "Verlagen": l.
"vergangen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "Verlagen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vergangen" for "Verlagen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "vergangen" vs "Verlagen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vergangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Verlagen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,713,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vergangen" and "Verlagen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergaben vs Verlagen". 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 #1,713,086 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.