vergebevsvergehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,653
“vergebe” frequency rank
#6,606
“vergehen” frequency rank
52259
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vergebe vergehen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs vergeben (rasch) zu Ende kommen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vergebe and vergehen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
vergebe
8 ch
vergehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vergebe ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbə]) 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 52259, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vergebe is recorded at frequency rank #45,653, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbə]. 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 52259, this pair ranks #1,103,809 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vergebe vs vergehen

Shared letters: egrv. Private to "vergebe": b. Private to "vergehen": hn.

"vergebe" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "vergehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vergebeevrgebe · vegrebe · veregbe · vergbee · vergebbe · vergeeb · verggebe · verrgebe
  • vergehenevrgehen · vegrehen · vereghen · vergeehn · vergehenn · vergehhen · vergehne · verggehen

Frequency comparison

vergebe#45,653
vergehen#6,606

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vergebe" and "vergehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbə] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vergebe" or "vergehen"?
"vergehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,606 in our German list, against #45,653 for "vergebe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vergebe vs vergehen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vergebe” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list