Which to use
“Vergebung” and “Vergeltung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,580
- “Vergebung” frequency rank
- #18,424
- “Vergeltung” frequency rank
- 35004
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vergebung | Vergeltung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Akt des Verzeihens | Strafe, Genugtuung für eine (meist negative) Handlung |
Where the eye mixes Vergebung and Vergeltung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Vergebung runs 9 letters (CVCCVCVCC) against Vergeltung's 10 (CVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Vergebung and Vergeltung
A purely visual mix-up. Vergebung ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbʊŋ]) and Vergeltung ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛltʊŋ]) 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 35004, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vergebung is recorded at frequency rank #16,580, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbʊŋ]. Vergeltung is at rank #18,424, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛltʊŋ].
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 35004, this pair ranks #1,650,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Vergebung vs Vergeltung
Shared letters: egnruv. Private to "Vergebung": b. Private to "Vergeltung": lt.
"Vergebung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC · "Vergeltung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Vergebung ← evrgebung · vegrebung · veregbung · vergbeung · vergebbung · vergebnug · vergebugn · vergebungg
- Vergeltung ← evrgeltung · vegreltung · veregltung · vergelltung · vergeltnug · vergelttung · vergeltugn · vergeltungg
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Vergebung" and "Vergeltung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Vergebung" or "Vergeltung"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Vergebung" and "Vergeltung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Vergebung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Vergeltung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,650,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vergebung" and "Vergeltung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vergebene vs Vergebung". 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 #1,650,309 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.