Which to use
“versagen” and “versehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,119
- “versagen” frequency rank
- #2,566
- “versehen” frequency rank
- 8685
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versagen | versehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht so funktionieren, wie es geplant war oder üblich ist | jemanden oder etwas mit etwas ausstatten |
Where the eye mixes versagen and versehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: versagen vs versehen
A purely visual mix-up. versagen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩]) and versehen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzeːən]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8685, 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]. versehen is at rank #2,566, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzeːən].
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 8685, this pair ranks #1,983,291 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of versagen vs versehen
Shared letters: enrsv. Private to "versagen": ag. Private to "versehen": h.
"versagen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "versehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "versagen" and "versehen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "versagen" vs "versehen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "versagen" and "versehen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "versagen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,983,291 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versagen" and "versehen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergaben vs versagen". 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 #1,983,291 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.