Which to use
“versäumen” and “verstummen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,378
- “versäumen” frequency rank
- #38,497
- “verstummen” frequency rank
- 71875
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versäumen | verstummen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas, das erforderlich wäre, nicht tun | (plötzlich) aufhören, die Stimme zu gebrauchen |
Where the eye mixes versäumen and verstummen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses versäumen with verstummen
A purely visual mix-up. versäumen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mən]) and verstummen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʊmən]) 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 71875, 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]. verstummen is at rank #38,497, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʊmən].
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 71875, this pair ranks #404,327 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of versäumen vs verstummen
Shared letters: emnrsuv. Private to "versäumen": ä. Private to "verstummen": t.
"versäumen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "verstummen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verstummen ← evrstummen · verrstummen · versstummen · verstmumen · versttummen · verstumemn · verstumen · verstummenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "versäumen" for "verstummen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "versäumen" or "verstummen" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "versäumen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verstummen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #404,327 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versäumen" and "verstummen" 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 #404,327 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.