verhängenvsverhängtenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: verhängen is a verb, verhängten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“verhängen” is a verb and “verhängten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,545
“verhängen” frequency rank
#42,912
“verhängten” frequency rank
70457
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verhängen verhängten
Definition etwas mit einem Tuch oder dergleichen zuhängen, verbergen Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs verhängt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verhängen and verhängten apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
verhängen
10 ch
verhängten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verhängen is [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋən] while verhängten is [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70457, 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]. verhängten is at rank #42,912, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋtn̩].

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 70457, this pair ranks #445,775 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of verhängen vs verhängten

Shared letters: eghnrvä. Private to "verhängen": -. Private to "verhängten": t.

"verhängen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "verhängten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC

Frequency comparison

verhängen#27,545
verhängten#42,912

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verhängen" and "verhängten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "verhängen" is a verb and "verhängten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "verhängen" or "verhängten"?
"verhängen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,545 in our German list, against #42,912 for "verhängten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verhängen vs verhängten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “verhängen”; for an adjective, it's “verhängten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verhängen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list