Which to use
“vergebene” is an adjective and “vergebens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,099
- “vergebene” frequency rank
- #16,862
- “vergebens” frequency rank
- 55961
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergebene | vergebens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs vergeben | zu keinem Erfolg führend |
Where the eye mixes vergebene and vergebens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. vergebene (CVCCVCVCV) and vergebens (CVCCVCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses vergebene with vergebens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vergebene is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbənə] while vergebens is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “vergebene” becomes s in “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 55961, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vergebene is recorded at frequency rank #39,099, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbənə]. 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 55961, this pair ranks #958,969 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vergebene vs vergebens
Shared letters: begnrv. Private to "vergebene": -. Private to "vergebens": s.
"vergebene" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV · "vergebens" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vergebene" and "vergebens" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vergebene" 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 "vergebene" 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 #958,969 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vergebene" and "vergebens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergaben vs vergebene". 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 #958,969 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.