Which to use
“vergiften” is a verb and “Vergiftung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,560
- “vergiften” frequency rank
- #22,947
- “Vergiftung” frequency rank
- 47507
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergiften | Vergiftung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit Gift versehen | körperliche Schädigung durch Einnahme von Gift |
Where the eye mixes vergiften and Vergiftung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. vergiften runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against Vergiftung's 10 (CVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vergiften vs Vergiftung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vergiften is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftn̩] while Vergiftung is [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftʊŋ]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47507, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vergiften is recorded at frequency rank #24,560, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftn̩]. Vergiftung is at rank #22,947, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftʊŋ].
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 47507, this pair ranks #1,281,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vergiften vs Vergiftung
Shared letters: efginrtv. Private to "vergiften": -. Private to "Vergiftung": u.
"vergiften" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "Vergiftung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vergiften ← evrgiften · vegriften · vergfiten · verggiften · vergifetn · vergifften · vergiftenn · vergiftne
- Vergiftung ← evrgiftung · vegriftung · vergfitung · verggiftung · vergifftung · vergiftnug · vergifttung · vergiftugn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vergiften" and "Vergiftung" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vergiften" or "Vergiftung"?
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 "vergiften" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Vergiftung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,281,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vergiften" and "Vergiftung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vergiften vs vergifteten". 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 #1,281,869 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.