Which to use
“verpflichten” is a verb and “Verpflichtung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,390
- “verpflichten” frequency rank
- #5,038
- “Verpflichtung” frequency rank
- 15428
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verpflichten | Verpflichtung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden in die Pflicht nehmen, etwas zu tun | das, was getan werden muss, was von einem verlangt oder erwartet wird, die Pflicht |
Where the eye mixes verpflichten and Verpflichtung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. verpflichten runs 12 letters (CVCCCCVCCCVC) against Verpflichtung's 13 (CVCCCCVCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between verpflichten and Verpflichtung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verpflichten is [fɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtn̩] while Verpflichtung is [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15428, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verpflichten is recorded at frequency rank #10,390, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtn̩]. Verpflichtung is at rank #5,038, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈp͡flɪçtʊŋ].
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 15428, this pair ranks #1,943,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verpflichten vs Verpflichtung
Shared letters: cefhilnprtv. Private to "verpflichten": -. Private to "Verpflichtung": gu.
"verpflichten" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC · "Verpflichtung" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verpflichten ← evrpflichten · veprflichten · verfplichten · verpfflichten · verpfilchten · verpflcihten · verpflicchten · verpflichetn
- Verpflichtung ← evrpflichtung · veprflichtung · verfplichtung · verpfflichtung · verpfilchtung · verpflcihtung · verpflicchtung · verpflichhtung
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verpflichten" for "Verpflichtung" ever safe?
Which is more common, "verpflichten" or "Verpflichtung"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "verpflichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Verpflichtung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,943,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verpflichten" and "Verpflichtung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verfluchten vs verpflichten". 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 #1,943,942 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.