Which to use
“versagen” is a verb and “versagte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,119
- “versagen” frequency rank
- #34,442
- “versagte” frequency rank
- 40561
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versagen | versagte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht so funktionieren, wie es geplant war oder üblich ist | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs versagt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set versagen and versagte apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: versagen is [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩] while versagte is [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːktə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40561, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
versagen is recorded at frequency rank #6,119, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩]. versagte is at rank #34,442, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːktə].
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 40561, this pair ranks #1,504,861 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of versagen vs versagte
Shared letters: aegrsv. Private to "versagen": n. Private to "versagte": t.
"versagen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "versagte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "versagen" and "versagte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "versagen" or "versagte"?
Remembering versagen vs versagte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “versagen”; for an adjective, it's “versagte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “versagen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable