Which to use
“verpönt” is an adjective and “versöhnt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,095
- “verpönt” frequency rank
- #37,282
- “versöhnt” frequency rank
- 73377
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verpönt | versöhnt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von der Gesellschaft, von anderen Menschen für schlecht gehalten, unerwünscht | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs versöhnen |
Where the eye mixes verpönt and versöhnt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. verpönt runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against versöhnt's 8 (CVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verpönt with versöhnt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verpönt is [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈpøːnt] while versöhnt is [fɛɐ̯ˈzøːnt]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73377, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verpönt is recorded at frequency rank #36,095, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈpøːnt]. versöhnt is at rank #37,282, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzøːnt].
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 73377, this pair ranks #362,061 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of verpönt vs versöhnt
Shared letters: enrtvö. Private to "verpönt": p. Private to "versöhnt": hs.
"verpönt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "versöhnt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verpönt" for "versöhnt" ever safe?
Frequency check: "verpönt" vs "versöhnt" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "verpönt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versöhnt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #362,061 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verpönt" and "versöhnt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versöhnt vs verwöhnte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #362,061 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.