Which to use
“verhängen” is a verb and “verhängte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,545
- “verhängen” frequency rank
- #30,358
- “verhängte” frequency rank
- 57903
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verhängen | verhängte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit einem Tuch oder dergleichen zuhängen, verbergen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs verhängt |
Where the eye mixes verhängen and verhängte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verhängen (CVCCVCCVC) and verhängte (CVCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses verhängen with verhängte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verhängen is [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋən] while verhängte is [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57903, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verhängen is recorded at frequency rank #27,545, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋən]. verhängte is at rank #30,358, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋtə].
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 57903, this pair ranks #883,322 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verhängen vs verhängte
Shared letters: eghnrvä. Private to "verhängen": -. Private to "verhängte": t.
"verhängen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "verhängte" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verhängen" and "verhängte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verhängen" or "verhängte"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "verhängen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verhängte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #883,322 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verhängen" and "verhängte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verdankte vs verhängte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #883,322 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.