Which to use
“vergessen” is an adjective and “vergesst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #625
- “vergessen” frequency rank
- #12,409
- “vergesst” frequency rank
- 13034
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergessen | vergesst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Moment/bestimmter Situation nicht daran gedacht, nicht daran erinnert | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs vergessen |
Where the eye mixes vergessen and vergesst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. vergessen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against vergesst's 8 (CVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vergessen vs vergesst
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vergessen is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛsn̩] while vergesst is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13034, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vergessen is recorded at frequency rank #625, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛsn̩]. vergesst is at rank #12,409, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛst].
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 13034, this pair ranks #1,960,527 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vergessen vs vergesst
Shared letters: egrsv. Private to "vergessen": n. Private to "vergesst": t.
"vergessen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "vergesst" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vergessen" and "vergesst" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vergessen" or "vergesst"?
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 "vergessen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vergesst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,960,527 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vergessen" and "vergesst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vergeigt vs vergesst". 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 #1,960,527 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.