versäumtvsverstummtWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#15,249
“versäumt” frequency rank
#31,349
“verstummt” frequency rank
46598
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versäumt verstummt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs versäumen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verstummen

Where the eye mixes versäumt and verstummt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. versäumt runs 8 letters (CVCCVVCC) against verstummt's 9 (CVCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
versäumt
9 ch
verstummt

Why the eye confuses versäumt with verstummt

A purely visual mix-up. versäumt ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mt]) and verstummt ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʊmt]) 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 46598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versäumt is recorded at frequency rank #15,249, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mt]. verstummt is at rank #31,349, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʊmt].

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 46598, this pair ranks #1,313,610 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versäumt vs verstummt

Shared letters: emrstuv. Private to "versäumt": ä. Private to "verstummt": -.

"versäumt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC  ·  "verstummt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verstummt ← evrstummt · verrstummt · versstummt · verstmumt · versttummt · verstummtt · verstumt · verstumtm

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "versäumt" for "verstummt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔɪ̯mt] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʊmt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "versäumt" vs "verstummt" - which ranks higher?
"versäumt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,249 in our German list, against #31,349 for "verstummt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "versäumt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verstummt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,313,610 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versäumt" and "verstummt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verstimmt vs verstummt". 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 #1,313,610 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