Which to use
“Vergütung” and “Verhütung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,193
- “Vergütung” frequency rank
- #18,741
- “Verhütung” frequency rank
- 30934
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Vergütung | Verhütung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geldsumme, mit der etwas vergütet wird; zum Beispiel Geld als Gegenleistung für eine Arbeit, Ware, Entschädigung oder ein Nutzungsrecht | Einsatz von Mitteln, um ein unerwünschtes Ereignis zu verhindern |
Where the eye mixes Vergütung and Verhütung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Vergütung and Verhütung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between Vergütung and Verhütung
A purely visual mix-up. Vergütung ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡyːtʊŋ]) and Verhütung ([fɛɐ̯ˈhyːtʊŋ]) 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 - g in “Vergütung” becomes h in “Verhütung”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30934, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Vergütung is recorded at frequency rank #12,193, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡyːtʊŋ]. Verhütung is at rank #18,741, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhyːtʊŋ].
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 30934, this pair ranks #1,738,105 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Vergütung vs Verhütung
Shared letters: egnrtuvü. Private to "Vergütung": -. Private to "Verhütung": h.
"Vergütung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC · "Verhütung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Vergütung" for "Verhütung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Vergütung" or "Verhütung" 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 "Vergütung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Verhütung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,738,105 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Vergütung" and "Verhütung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verhüten vs Verhütung". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,738,105 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.