Which to use
“Verräter” and “Versager” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,198
- “Verräter” frequency rank
- #16,311
- “Versager” frequency rank
- 28509
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Verräter | Versager |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person, die einen Verrat begangen hat, beziehungsweise immer noch begeht | Person, die sehr häufig nicht das Erwartete erfüllt |
Where the eye mixes Verräter and Versager
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Verräter and Versager follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Verräter with Versager
A purely visual mix-up. Verräter ([fɛɐ̯ˈʁɛːtɐ]) and Versager ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡɐ]) 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 28509, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Verräter is recorded at frequency rank #12,198, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʁɛːtɐ]. Versager is at rank #16,311, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡɐ].
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 28509, this pair ranks #1,783,491 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Verräter vs Versager
Shared letters: erv. Private to "Verräter": tä. Private to "Versager": ags.
"Verräter" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "Versager" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Versager ← evrsager · verasger · verrsager · versaegr · versagerr · versagger · versagre · versgaer
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Verräter" and "Versager" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Verräter" or "Versager" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Verräter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Versager" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,783,491 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Verräter" and "Versager" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verräter vs Verrats". 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 #1,783,491 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.