vergesstvsvergisstWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#12,409
“vergesst” frequency rank
#5,661
“vergisst” frequency rank
18070
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vergesst vergisst
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs vergessen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs vergessen

Where the eye mixes vergesst and vergisst

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

8 ch
vergesst
8 ch
vergisst

Why the eye confuses vergesst with vergisst

A purely visual mix-up. vergesst ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛst]) and vergisst ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪst]) 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 a single letter - e in “vergesst” becomes i in “vergisst”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18070, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vergesst is recorded at frequency rank #12,409, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛst]. vergisst is at rank #5,661, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪst].

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 18070, this pair ranks #1,921,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vergesst vs vergisst

Shared letters: egrstv. Private to "vergesst": -. Private to "vergisst": i.

"vergesst" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "vergisst" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vergesst ← evrgesst · vegresst · veregsst · vergesstt · vergest · vergests · vergeßt · verggesst
  • vergisst ← evrgisst · vegrisst · verggisst · vergisstt · vergist · vergists · vergißt · vergsist

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "vergesst" and "vergisst" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛst] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vergesst" or "vergisst"?
"vergisst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,661 in our German list, against #12,409 for "vergesst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "vergesst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vergisst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,921,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vergesst" and "vergisst" 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 #1,921,694 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