Which to use
“verlaufen” and “versäumen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,126
- “verlaufen” frequency rank
- #33,378
- “versäumen” frequency rank
- 38504
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verlaufen | versäumen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | irgendwohin gehen und sich dabei verirren | etwas, das erforderlich wäre, nicht tun |
Where the eye mixes verlaufen and versäumen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between verlaufen and versäumen
A purely visual mix-up. verlaufen ([fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯fn̩]) and versäumen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən]) 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 38504, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verlaufen is recorded at frequency rank #5,126, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯fn̩]. versäumen is at rank #33,378, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən].
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 38504, this pair ranks #1,562,223 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verlaufen vs versäumen
Shared letters: enruv. Private to "verlaufen": afl. Private to "versäumen": msä.
"verlaufen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "versäumen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verlaufen ← evrlaufen · velraufen · veralufen · verlafuen · verlauefn · verlaufenn · verlauffen · verlaufne
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "verlaufen" and "versäumen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "verlaufen" or "versäumen"?
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 "verlaufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versäumen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,562,223 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verlaufen" and "versäumen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versäumen vs versäumte". 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 #1,562,223 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.