Which to use
“versauen” and “versäumen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,116
- “versauen” frequency rank
- #33,378
- “versäumen” frequency rank
- 54494
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versauen | versäumen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas sehr, sehr schlecht erledigen oder behandeln, so dass es missglückt oder zerstört ist | etwas, das erforderlich wäre, nicht tun |
Where the eye mixes versauen and versäumen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. versauen runs 8 letters (CVCCVVVC) against versäumen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: versauen vs versäumen
A purely visual mix-up. versauen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzaʊ̯ən]) and versäumen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən]) 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 54494, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
versauen is recorded at frequency rank #21,116, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzaʊ̯ən]. versäumen is at rank #33,378, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən].
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 54494, this pair ranks #1,016,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of versauen vs versäumen
Shared letters: enrsuv. Private to "versauen": a. Private to "versäumen": mä.
"versauen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVVC · "versäumen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- versauen ← evrsauen · verasuen · verrsauen · versaeun · versauenn · versaune · verssauen · versuaen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "versauen" and "versäumen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "versauen" or "versäumen" 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 "versauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versäumen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,016,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versauen" and "versäumen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versäumen vs versäumte". 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 #1,016,674 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.