Which to use
“Vergeltung” and “Verwaltung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,424
- “Vergeltung” frequency rank
- #1,683
- “Verwaltung” frequency rank
- 20107
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vergeltung | Verwaltung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Strafe, Genugtuung für eine (meist negative) Handlung | Organisation der Abläufe in Betrieben und anderen öffentlichen oder privaten Institutionen sowie deren Durchführung |
Where the eye mixes Vergeltung and Verwaltung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Vergeltung and Verwaltung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between Vergeltung and Verwaltung
A purely visual mix-up. Vergeltung ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛltʊŋ]) and Verwaltung ([fɛɐ̯ˈvaltʊŋ]) 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 20107, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vergeltung is recorded at frequency rank #18,424, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛltʊŋ]. Verwaltung is at rank #1,683, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvaltʊŋ].
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 20107, this pair ranks #1,901,185 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Vergeltung vs Verwaltung
Shared letters: eglnrtuv. Private to "Vergeltung": -. Private to "Verwaltung": aw.
"Vergeltung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC · "Verwaltung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Vergeltung ← evrgeltung · vegreltung · veregltung · vergelltung · vergeltnug · vergelttung · vergeltugn · vergeltungg
- Verwaltung ← evrwaltung · verawltung · verrwaltung · verwalltung · verwaltnug · verwalttung · verwaltugn · verwaltungg
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Vergeltung" for "Verwaltung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Vergeltung" or "Verwaltung" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Vergeltung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Verwaltung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,901,185 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vergeltung" and "Verwaltung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergeltung vs Vergiftung". 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 #1,901,185 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.