Which to use
“verkaufe” and “verlaufen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,481
- “verkaufe” frequency rank
- #5,126
- “verlaufen” frequency rank
- 11607
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verkaufe | verlaufen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verkaufen | irgendwohin gehen und sich dabei verirren |
Where the eye mixes verkaufe and verlaufen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. verkaufe runs 8 letters (CVCCVVCV) against verlaufen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verkaufe with verlaufen
A purely visual mix-up. verkaufe ([fɛɐ̯ˈkaʊ̯fə]) and verlaufen ([fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯fn̩]) 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 11607, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verkaufe is recorded at frequency rank #6,481, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈkaʊ̯fə]. verlaufen is at rank #5,126, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯fn̩].
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 11607, this pair ranks #1,968,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verkaufe vs verlaufen
Shared letters: aefruv. Private to "verkaufe": k. Private to "verlaufen": ln.
"verkaufe" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV · "verlaufen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verkaufe" and "verlaufen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verkaufe" or "verlaufen"?
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 "verkaufe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verlaufen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,968,933 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verkaufe" and "verlaufen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verkaufe vs Verkäufern". 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 #1,968,933 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.