Which to use
“Vergiftung” and “Vergütung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,947
- “Vergiftung” frequency rank
- #12,193
- “Vergütung” frequency rank
- 35140
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vergiftung | Vergütung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | körperliche Schädigung durch Einnahme von Gift | Geldsumme, mit der etwas vergütet wird; zum Beispiel Geld als Gegenleistung für eine Arbeit, Ware, Entschädigung oder ein Nutzungsrecht |
Where the eye mixes Vergiftung and Vergütung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Vergiftung runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCVCC) against Vergütung's 9 (CVCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Vergiftung with Vergütung
A purely visual mix-up. Vergiftung ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftʊŋ]) and Vergütung ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡyːtʊŋ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vergiftung is recorded at frequency rank #22,947, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪftʊŋ]. Vergütung is at rank #12,193, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡyːtʊŋ].
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 35140, this pair ranks #1,647,109 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Vergiftung vs Vergütung
Shared letters: egnrtuv. Private to "Vergiftung": fi. Private to "Vergütung": ü.
"Vergiftung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC · "Vergütung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Vergiftung ← evrgiftung · vegriftung · vergfitung · verggiftung · vergifftung · vergiftnug · vergifttung · vergiftugn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Vergiftung" and "Vergütung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Vergiftung" or "Vergütung" show up more?
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 "Vergiftung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Vergütung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,647,109 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vergiftung" and "Vergütung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergiftung vs Vergiftungen". 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 #1,647,109 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.