Which to use
“versagen” and “versorgen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,119
- “versagen” frequency rank
- #6,252
- “versorgen” frequency rank
- 12371
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versagen | versorgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht so funktionieren, wie es geplant war oder üblich ist | jemandem oder einer Sache Nötiges zuführen |
Where the eye mixes versagen and versorgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: versagen vs versorgen
A purely visual mix-up. versagen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩]) and versorgen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔʁɡn̩]) 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 12371, 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]. versorgen is at rank #6,252, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔʁɡn̩].
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 12371, this pair ranks #1,964,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of versagen vs versorgen
Shared letters: egnrsv. Private to "versagen": a. Private to "versorgen": o.
"versagen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "versorgen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "versagen" and "versorgen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "versagen" or "versorgen" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "versagen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versorgen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,964,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versagen" and "versorgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versorgen vs verworren". 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 #1,964,562 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.