Which to use
“verhört” is a verb and “verpönt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,174
- “verhört” frequency rank
- #36,095
- “verpönt” frequency rank
- 60269
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verhört | verpönt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verhören | von der Gesellschaft, von anderen Menschen für schlecht gehalten, unerwünscht |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verhört and verpönt apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verhört is [fɛɐ̯ˈhøːɐ̯t] while verpönt is [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈpøːnt]. 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 60269, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verhört is recorded at frequency rank #24,174, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhøːɐ̯t]. verpönt is at rank #36,095, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈpøːnt].
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 60269, this pair ranks #793,291 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verhört vs verpönt
Shared letters: ertvö. Private to "verhört": h. Private to "verpönt": np.
"verhört" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "verpönt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verhört" and "verpönt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verhört" or "verpönt"?
Remembering verhört vs verpönt
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “verhört”; for an adjective, it's “verpönt”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verhört” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable