Which to use
“verschenken” and “verschonen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,149
- “verschenken” frequency rank
- #47,826
- “verschonen” frequency rank
- 58975
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verschenken | verschonen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas zum Geschenk machen, jemandem etwas als Geschenk geben | jemanden/etwas von dem ausnehmen, was (im gleichen Zeitraum und aus gleichem Grund) einem anderen/anderem Schaden zufügt |
Where the eye mixes verschenken and verschonen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses verschenken with verschonen
A purely visual mix-up. verschenken ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛŋkn̩]) and verschonen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃoːnən]) 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 58975, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verschenken is recorded at frequency rank #11,149, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛŋkn̩]. verschonen is at rank #47,826, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃoːnən].
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 58975, this pair ranks #842,058 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verschenken vs verschonen
Shared letters: cehnrsv. Private to "verschenken": k. Private to "verschonen": o.
"verschenken" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "verschonen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verschenken ← evrschenken · vercshenken · verrschenken · verscchenken · verscehnken · verscheknen · verschenekn · verschenkenn
- verschonen ← evrschonen · vercshonen · verrschonen · verscchonen · verschhonen · verschnoen · verschoenn · verschonenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verschenken" for "verschonen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "verschenken" or "verschonen"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verschenken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verschonen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #842,058 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verschenken" and "verschonen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verschonen vs verschönert". 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 #842,058 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.