vergebenvsverübenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vergeben is a adjective, verüben is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vergeben” is an adjective and “verüben” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,694
“vergeben” frequency rank
#32,844
“verüben” frequency rank
35538
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vergeben verüben
Definition mit einem Partner fest zusammenlebend etwas Negatives, Schädliches ausführen

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
vergeben
7 ch
verüben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vergeben is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbn̩] while verüben is [fɛɐ̯ˈʔyːbn̩]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35538, 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]. verüben is at rank #32,844, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔyːbn̩].

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 35538, this pair ranks #1,637,588 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vergeben vs verüben

Shared letters: benrv. Private to "vergeben": g. Private to "verüben": ü.

"vergeben" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "verüben" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vergebenevrgeben · vegreben · veregben · vergbeen · vergebben · vergebenn · vergebne · vergeebn

Frequency comparison

vergeben#2,694
verüben#32,844

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vergeben" and "verüben" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vergeben" is an adjective and "verüben" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vergeben" or "verüben"?
"vergeben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,694 in our German list, against #32,844 for "verüben". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering vergeben vs verüben

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “vergeben”; for a verb, it's “verüben”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vergeben” 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