Which to use
“verlange” and “verlaufe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,584
- “verlange” frequency rank
- #27,548
- “verlaufe” frequency rank
- 44132
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verlange | verlaufe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verlangen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verlaufen |
Where the eye mixes verlange and verlaufe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. verlange (CVCCVCCV) and verlaufe (CVCCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses verlange with verlaufe
A purely visual mix-up. verlange ([fɛɐ̯ˈlaŋə]) and verlaufe ([fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯fə]) 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 44132, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verlange is recorded at frequency rank #16,584, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlaŋə]. verlaufe is at rank #27,548, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯fə].
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 44132, this pair ranks #1,396,000 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verlange vs verlaufe
Shared letters: aelrv. Private to "verlange": gn. Private to "verlaufe": fu.
"verlange" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "verlaufe" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "verlange" and "verlaufe" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "verlange" or "verlaufe"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "verlange" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verlaufe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,396,000 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verlange" and "verlaufe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verlaufe vs verlauten". 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 #1,396,000 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.