Which to use
“versäumen” and “verstauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,378
- “versäumen” frequency rank
- #41,550
- “verstauen” frequency rank
- 74928
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versäumen | verstauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas, das erforderlich wäre, nicht tun | Gegenstände in einem Raum unterbringen |
Where the eye mixes versäumen and verstauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. versäumen (CVCCVVCVC) and verstauen (CVCCCVVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses versäumen with verstauen
A purely visual mix-up. versäumen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
versäumen is recorded at frequency rank #33,378, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən]. 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 74928, this pair ranks #320,798 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of versäumen vs verstauen
Shared letters: enrsuv. Private to "versäumen": mä. Private to "verstauen": at.
"versäumen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "verstauen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verstauen ← evrstauen · verrstauen · versatuen · versstauen · verstaeun · verstauenn · verstaune · versttauen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "versäumen" and "verstauen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "versäumen" vs "verstauen" - which ranks higher?
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 "versäumen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verstauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #320,798 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versäumen" and "verstauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verhauen vs verstauen". 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 #320,798 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.