versagenvsverstauenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,119
“versagen” frequency rank
#41,550
“verstauen” frequency rank
47669
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versagen verstauen
Definition nicht so funktionieren, wie es geplant war oder üblich ist Gegenstände in einem Raum unterbringen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set versagen and verstauen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
versagen
9 ch
verstauen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. versagen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩]) and verstauen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯ən]) 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 47669, 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]. verstauen is at rank #41,550, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯ən].

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 47669, this pair ranks #1,276,212 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versagen vs verstauen

Shared letters: aenrsv. Private to "versagen": g. Private to "verstauen": tu.

"versagen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "verstauen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versagenevrsagen · verasgen · verrsagen · versaegn · versagenn · versaggen · versagne · versgaen
  • verstauenevrstauen · verrstauen · versatuen · versstauen · verstaeun · verstauenn · verstaune · versttauen

Frequency comparison

versagen#6,119
verstauen#41,550

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versagen" and "verstauen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯ən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "versagen" or "verstauen"?
"versagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,119 in our German list, against #41,550 for "verstauen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering versagen vs verstauen

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 “versagen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list