Which to use
“vergeben” is an adjective and “vergebens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,694
- “vergeben” frequency rank
- #16,862
- “vergebens” frequency rank
- 19556
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergeben | vergebens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit einem Partner fest zusammenlebend | zu keinem Erfolg führend |
Where the eye mixes vergeben and vergebens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. vergeben runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against vergebens's 9 (CVCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vergeben with vergebens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vergeben is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbn̩] while vergebens is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “vergeben” sits inside “vergebens”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19556, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vergeben is recorded at frequency rank #2,694, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbn̩]. 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 19556, this pair ranks #1,907,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vergeben vs vergebens
Shared letters: begnrv. Private to "vergeben": -. Private to "vergebens": s.
"vergeben" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "vergebens" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vergeben" and "vergebens" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "vergeben" or "vergebens"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vergeben" 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 #1,907,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vergeben" and "vergebens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergaben vs vergebens". 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 #1,907,114 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.