Which to use
“verkaufe” and “verläuft” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,481
- “verkaufe” frequency rank
- #5,663
- “verläuft” frequency rank
- 12144
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verkaufe | verläuft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verkaufen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verlaufen |
Where the eye mixes verkaufe and verläuft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. verkaufe (CVCCVVCV) and verläuft (CVCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: verkaufe vs verläuft
A purely visual mix-up. verkaufe ([fɛɐ̯ˈkaʊ̯fə]) and verläuft ([fɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯ft]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12144, 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]. verläuft is at rank #5,663, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯ft].
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 12144, this pair ranks #1,965,930 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verkaufe vs verläuft
Shared letters: efruv. Private to "verkaufe": ak. Private to "verläuft": ltä.
"verkaufe" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV · "verläuft" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verkaufe ← evrkaufe · vekraufe · verakufe · verkafue · verkauef · verkauffe · verkkaufe · verkuafe
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verkaufe" for "verläuft" ever safe?
Which is more common, "verkaufe" or "verläuft"?
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 "verläuft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,965,930 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verkaufe" and "verläuft" 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 #1,965,930 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.