verpöntvsverwöhntWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,095
“verpönt” frequency rank
#14,707
“verwöhnt” frequency rank
50802
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verpönt verwöhnt
Definition von der Gesellschaft, von anderen Menschen für schlecht gehalten, unerwünscht in einem Zustand befindlich, in dem man durch vorangegangenen Überfluss bestimmte Dinge nicht mehr zu schätzen weiß

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verpönt and verwöhnt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
verpönt
8 ch
verwöhnt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verpönt ([ˌfɛɐ̯ˈpøːnt]) and verwöhnt ([fɛɐ̯ˈvøːnt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50802, 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]. verwöhnt is at rank #14,707, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvøːnt].

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 50802, this pair ranks #1,159,874 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verpönt vs verwöhnt

Shared letters: enrtvö. Private to "verpönt": p. Private to "verwöhnt": hw.

"verpönt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "verwöhnt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC

Frequency comparison

verpönt#36,095
verwöhnt#14,707

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verpönt" and "verwöhnt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˌfɛɐ̯ˈpøːnt] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈvøːnt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verpönt" or "verwöhnt"?
"verwöhnt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,707 in our German list, against #36,095 for "verpönt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verpönt vs verwöhnt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verpönt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list