Which to use
“verjagen” and “versauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,017
- “verjagen” frequency rank
- #21,116
- “versauen” frequency rank
- 66133
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verjagen | versauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden gewaltsam vertreiben, verscheuchen | etwas sehr, sehr schlecht erledigen oder behandeln, so dass es missglückt oder zerstört ist |
Where the eye mixes verjagen and versauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. verjagen (CVCCVCVC) and versauen (CVCCVVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: verjagen vs versauen
A purely visual mix-up. verjagen ([fɛɐ̯ˈjaːɡn̩]) and versauen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaʊ̯ən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verjagen is recorded at frequency rank #45,017, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈjaːɡn̩]. versauen is at rank #21,116, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaʊ̯ən].
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 66133, this pair ranks #583,491 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verjagen vs versauen
Shared letters: aenrv. Private to "verjagen": gj. Private to "versauen": su.
"verjagen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "versauen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verjagen" for "versauen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "verjagen" or "versauen"?
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 "verjagen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #583,491 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verjagen" and "versauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergaben vs verjagen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #583,491 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.