versehenvsverwehrenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,566
“versehen” frequency rank
#31,351
“verwehren” frequency rank
33917
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versehen verwehren
Definition jemanden oder etwas mit etwas ausstatten nicht erlauben, nicht gestatten, verbieten, versperren; jemandem etwas nicht gewähren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set versehen and verwehren apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
versehen
9 ch
verwehren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. versehen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzeːən]) and verwehren ([fɛɐ̯ˈveːʁən]) 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 33917, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versehen is recorded at frequency rank #2,566, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzeːən]. verwehren is at rank #31,351, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈveːʁən].

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 33917, this pair ranks #1,675,145 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of versehen vs verwehren

Shared letters: ehnrv. Private to "versehen": s. Private to "verwehren": w.

"versehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "verwehren" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versehenevrsehen · vereshen · verrsehen · verseehn · versehenn · versehhen · versehne · versheen
  • verwehrenevrwehren · verewhren · verrwehren · verwehern · verwehhren · verwehrenn · verwehrne · verwehrren

Frequency comparison

versehen#2,566
verwehren#31,351

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versehen" and "verwehren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈzeːən] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈveːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "versehen" or "verwehren"?
"versehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,566 in our German list, against #31,351 for "verwehren". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering versehen vs verwehren

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 “versehen” 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