Which to use
“vergiften” and “verhaften” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,560
- “vergiften” frequency rank
- #19,752
- “verhaften” frequency rank
- 44312
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergiften | verhaften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit Gift versehen | jemanden in Haft, in Gewahrsam nehmen |
Where the eye mixes vergiften and verhaften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses vergiften with verhaften
A purely visual mix-up. vergiften ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftn̩]) and verhaften ([fɛɐ̯ˈhaftn̩]) 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 44312, 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]. verhaften is at rank #19,752, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhaftn̩].
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 44312, this pair ranks #1,390,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vergiften vs verhaften
Shared letters: efnrtv. Private to "vergiften": gi. Private to "verhaften": ah.
"vergiften" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "verhaften" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vergiften" for "verhaften" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vergiften" or "verhaften"?
Useful next steps
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 "verhaften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,390,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vergiften" and "verhaften" 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 #1,390,297 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.