Which to use
“vergessen” is an adjective and “verpissen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #625
- “vergessen” frequency rank
- #31,344
- “verpissen” frequency rank
- 31969
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergessen | verpissen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Moment/bestimmter Situation nicht daran gedacht, nicht daran erinnert | sich von einem (meist als unbehaglich empfundenen) Ort entfernen; weggehen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vergessen and verpissen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vergessen is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛsn̩] while verpissen is [fɛɐ̯ˈpɪsn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31969, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vergessen is recorded at frequency rank #625, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛsn̩]. verpissen is at rank #31,344, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈpɪsn̩].
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 31969, this pair ranks #1,717,438 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vergessen vs verpissen
Shared letters: enrsv. Private to "vergessen": g. Private to "verpissen": ip.
"vergessen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "verpissen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vergessen" and "verpissen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vergessen" or "verpissen"?
Remembering vergessen vs verpissen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “vergessen”; for a verb, it's “verpissen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vergessen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable