VergebungvsVerlobungTell them apart

Which to use

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

#16,580
“Vergebung” frequency rank
#21,115
“Verlobung” frequency rank
37695
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vergebung Verlobung
Definition Akt des Verzeihens das Versprechen, eine Person (den Verlobten beziehungsweise die Verlobte) zu heiraten

Where the eye mixes Vergebung and Verlobung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Vergebung and Verlobung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
Vergebung
9 ch
Verlobung

Why the eye confuses Vergebung with Verlobung

A purely visual mix-up. Vergebung ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbʊŋ]) and Verlobung ([ˌfɛɐ̯ˈloːbʊŋ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37695, 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]. Verlobung is at rank #21,115, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈloːbʊŋ].

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 37695, this pair ranks #1,583,471 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Vergebung vs Verlobung

Shared letters: begnruv. Private to "Vergebung": -. Private to "Verlobung": lo.

"Vergebung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC  ·  "Verlobung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vergebung ← evrgebung · vegrebung · veregbung · vergbeung · vergebbung · vergebnug · vergebugn · vergebungg
  • Verlobung ← evrlobung · velrobung · verlboung · verllobung · verlobbung · verlobnug · verlobugn · verlobungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vergebung" and "Verlobung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːbʊŋ] versus [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈloːbʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Vergebung" or "Verlobung"?
"Vergebung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,580 in our German list, against #21,115 for "Verlobung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Vergebung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Verlobung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,583,471 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vergebung" and "Verlobung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vererbung vs Verlobung". 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 #1,583,471 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list