versagtvsversankConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#5,896
“versagt” frequency rank
#42,233
“versank” frequency rank
48129
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versagt versank
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs versagen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs versinken

Where the eye mixes versagt and versank

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
versagt
7 ch
versank

Look-alike desk: versagt vs versank

A purely visual mix-up. versagt ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːkt]) and versank ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaŋk]) 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 48129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versagt is recorded at frequency rank #5,896, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːkt]. versank is at rank #42,233, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaŋk].

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 48129, this pair ranks #1,259,782 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versagt vs versank

Shared letters: aersv. Private to "versagt": gt. Private to "versank": kn.

"versagt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "versank" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versagtevrsagt · verasgt · verrsagt · versaggt · versagtt · versatg · versgat · verssagt
  • versankevrsank · verasnk · verrsank · versakn · versankk · versannk · versnak · verssank

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "versagt" for "versank" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaːkt] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈzaŋk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "versagt" vs "versank" - which ranks higher?
"versagt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,896 in our German list, against #42,233 for "versank". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "versagt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "versank" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,259,782 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versagt" and "versank" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versah vs versank". 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 #1,259,782 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list