verschafftenvsverschärftenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,822
“verschafften” frequency rank
#35,522
“verschärften” frequency rank
83344
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verschafften verschärften
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs verschafft Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs verschärft

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verschafften and verschärften apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
verschafften
12 ch
verschärften

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verschafften ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃaftn̩]) and verschärften ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁftn̩]) 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 83344, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verschafften is recorded at frequency rank #47,822, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃaftn̩]. verschärften is at rank #35,522, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁftn̩].

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 83344, this pair ranks #141,494 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of verschafften vs verschärften

Shared letters: cefhnrstv. Private to "verschafften": a. Private to "verschärften": ä.

"verschafften" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC  ·  "verschärften" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verschafftenevrschafften · vercshafften · verrschafften · verscahfften · verscchafften · verschaffetn · verschafftenn · verschafftne

Frequency comparison

verschafften#47,822
verschärften#35,522

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verschafften" and "verschärften" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃaftn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛʁftn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verschafften" or "verschärften"?
"verschärften" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,522 in our German list, against #47,822 for "verschafften". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verschafften vs verschärften

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verschafften” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list