verschenkenvsversenkenWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verschenken and versenken apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
verschenken
9 ch
versenken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • verschenkenevrschenken · vercshenken · verrschenken · verscchenken · verscehnken · verscheknen · verschenekn · verschenkenn
  • versenkenevrsenken · veresnken · verrsenken · verseknen · versenekn · versenkenn · versenkken · versenkne

Frequency comparison

verschenken#11,149
versenken#22,951

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verschenken" and "versenken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃɛŋkn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verschenken" or "versenken"?
"verschenken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,149 in our German list, against #22,951 for "versenken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verschenken vs versenken

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 “verschenken” 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