Which to use
“verhängen” and “verlängern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,545
- “verhängen” frequency rank
- #9,289
- “verlängern” frequency rank
- 36834
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verhängen | verlängern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit einem Tuch oder dergleichen zuhängen, verbergen | etwas (räumlich) länger machen; die (räumliche) Ausdehnung von etwas erhöhen |
Where the eye mixes verhängen and verlängern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verhängen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against verlängern's 10 (CVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verhängen with verlängern
A purely visual mix-up. verhängen ([fɛɐ̯ˈhɛŋən]) and verlängern ([fɛɐ̯ˈlɛŋɐn]) 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 36834, 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]. verlängern is at rank #9,289, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlɛŋɐn].
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 36834, this pair ranks #1,605,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verhängen vs verlängern
Shared letters: egnrvä. Private to "verhängen": h. Private to "verlängern": l.
"verhängen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "verlängern" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "verhängen" and "verlängern" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "verhängen" vs "verlängern" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verhängen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verlängern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,605,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verhängen" and "verlängern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verhängen vs verjagen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,605,533 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.