VerlagevsVersagerWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Verlage” and “Versager” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#11,348
“Verlage” frequency rank
#16,311
“Versager” frequency rank
27659
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Verlage Versager
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Verlag Person, die sehr häufig nicht das Erwartete erfüllt

Where the eye mixes Verlage and Versager

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Verlage runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against Versager's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Verlage
8 ch
Versager

Why the eye confuses Verlage with Versager

A purely visual mix-up. Verlage ([fɛɐ̯ˈlaːɡə]) and Versager ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡɐ]) 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 27659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Verlage is recorded at frequency rank #11,348, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlaːɡə]. Versager is at rank #16,311, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡɐ].

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 27659, this pair ranks #1,798,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Verlage vs Versager

Shared letters: aegrv. Private to "Verlage": l. Private to "Versager": s.

"Verlage" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "Versager" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Verlage ← evrlage · velrage · veralge · verlaeg · verlagge · verlgae · verllage · verrlage
  • Versager ← evrsager · verasger · verrsager · versaegr · versagerr · versagger · versagre · versgaer

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Verlage" and "Versager" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈlaːɡə] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Verlage" or "Versager"?
"Verlage" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,348 in our German list, against #16,311 for "Versager". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Verlage" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Versager" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,798,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Verlage" and "Versager" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verjagen vs Versager". 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 #1,798,119 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list