Which to use
“vergraben” and “vertragen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,755
- “vergraben” frequency rank
- #9,481
- “vertragen” frequency rank
- 27236
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vergraben | vertragen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Loch in die Erde, den Boden machen, etwas hineinlegen oder -werfen und das Loch wieder zuschütten | eine unangenehme Situation oder etwas ohne körperlichen Schaden oder negative Gefühle mitmachen/aushalten können |
Where the eye mixes vergraben and vertragen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. vergraben and vertragen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses vergraben with vertragen
A purely visual mix-up. vergraben ([ˌfɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaːbn̩]) and vertragen ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩]) 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 27236, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vergraben is recorded at frequency rank #17,755, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaːbn̩]. vertragen is at rank #9,481, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩].
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 27236, this pair ranks #1,805,061 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vergraben vs vertragen
Shared letters: aegnrv. Private to "vergraben": b. Private to "vertragen": t.
"vergraben" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "vertragen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vergraben" for "vertragen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "vergraben" vs "vertragen" - which ranks higher?
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 "vergraben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vertragen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,805,061 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vergraben" and "vertragen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergaben vs vergraben". 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 #1,805,061 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.