VerlinkungvsVersenkungWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#39,102
“Verlinkung” frequency rank
#25,384
“Versenkung” frequency rank
64486
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Verlinkung Versenkung
Definition Vorgang des Verlinkens, Zustand des Verlinktseins Handlung, mit der erreicht wird, dass ein Schiff oder ein anderer Gegenstand nicht mehr auf dem/im Wasser schwimmen kann

Where the eye mixes Verlinkung and Versenkung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Verlinkung and Versenkung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

10 ch
Verlinkung
10 ch
Versenkung

Why the eye confuses Verlinkung with Versenkung

A purely visual mix-up. Verlinkung ([fɛɐ̯ˈlɪŋkʊŋ]) and Versenkung ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkʊŋ]) 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 64486, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Verlinkung is recorded at frequency rank #39,102, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlɪŋkʊŋ]. Versenkung is at rank #25,384, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkʊŋ].

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 64486, this pair ranks #639,843 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Verlinkung vs Versenkung

Shared letters: egknruv. Private to "Verlinkung": il. Private to "Versenkung": s.

"Verlinkung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC  ·  "Versenkung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Verlinkung ← evrlinkung · velrinkung · verilnkung · verliknung · verlinkkung · verlinknug · verlinkugn · verlinkungg
  • Versenkung ← evrsenkung · veresnkung · verrsenkung · verseknung · versenkkung · versenknug · versenkugn · versenkungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Verlinkung" and "Versenkung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈlɪŋkʊŋ] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Verlinkung" or "Versenkung"?
"Versenkung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,384 in our German list, against #39,102 for "Verlinkung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Verlinkung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Versenkung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #639,843 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Verlinkung" and "Versenkung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verlinkung vs Verzinsung". 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 #639,843 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