Which to use
“vergehen” and “verzehren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,606
- “vergehen” frequency rank
- #28,919
- “verzehren” frequency rank
- 35525
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergehen | verzehren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (rasch) zu Ende kommen | als Nahrung zu sich nehmen |
Where the eye mixes vergehen and verzehren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. vergehen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against verzehren's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vergehen vs verzehren
A purely visual mix-up. vergehen ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːən]) and verzehren ([ˌfɛɐ̯ˈt͡seːʁən]) 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 35525, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vergehen is recorded at frequency rank #6,606, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːən]. verzehren is at rank #28,919, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈt͡seːʁən].
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 35525, this pair ranks #1,637,902 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vergehen vs verzehren
Shared letters: ehnrv. Private to "vergehen": g. Private to "verzehren": z.
"vergehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "verzehren" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vergehen" and "verzehren" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "vergehen" vs "verzehren" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vergehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verzehren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,637,902 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vergehen" and "verzehren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verwahren vs verzehren". 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 #1,637,902 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.