Which to use
“verschenken” and “versenken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,149
- “verschenken” frequency rank
- #22,951
- “versenken” frequency rank
- 34100
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verschenken | versenken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas zum Geschenk machen, jemandem etwas als Geschenk geben | in einem anderen Objekt bündig verschwinden lassen |
Where the eye mixes verschenken and versenken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. verschenken runs 11 letters (CVCCCCVCCVC) against versenken's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verschenken with versenken
A purely visual mix-up. verschenken ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛŋkn̩]) and versenken ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34100, 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]. versenken is at rank #22,951, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkn̩].
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 34100, this pair ranks #1,670,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verschenken vs versenken
Shared letters: eknrsv. Private to "verschenken": ch. Private to "versenken": -.
"verschenken" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "versenken" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verschenken ← evrschenken · vercshenken · verrschenken · verscchenken · verscehnken · verscheknen · verschenekn · verschenkenn
- versenken ← evrsenken · veresnken · verrsenken · verseknen · versenekn · versenkenn · versenkken · versenkne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verschenken" and "versenken" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verschenken" or "versenken"?
Useful next steps
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 "versenken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,670,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verschenken" and "versenken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vermerken vs versenken". 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 #1,670,999 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.