Which to use
“verschonen” and “versöhnen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,826
- “verschonen” frequency rank
- #27,553
- “versöhnen” frequency rank
- 75379
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verschonen | versöhnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden/etwas von dem ausnehmen, was (im gleichen Zeitraum und aus gleichem Grund) einem anderen/anderem Schaden zufügt | jemanden veranlassen, mit jemandem nach einem Streit wieder Frieden zu schließen |
Where the eye mixes verschonen and versöhnen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: verschonen vs versöhnen
A purely visual mix-up. verschonen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃoːnən]) and versöhnen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzøːnən]) 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 75379, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verschonen is recorded at frequency rank #47,826, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃoːnən]. versöhnen is at rank #27,553, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzøːnən].
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 75379, this pair ranks #309,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of verschonen vs versöhnen
Shared letters: ehnrsv. Private to "verschonen": co. Private to "versöhnen": ö.
"verschonen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVCVC · "versöhnen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verschonen ← evrschonen · vercshonen · verrschonen · verscchonen · verschhonen · verschnoen · verschoenn · verschonenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verschonen" and "versöhnen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "verschonen" or "versöhnen" show up more?
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 "verschonen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versöhnen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #309,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verschonen" and "versöhnen" 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 #309,434 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.