VersenvsVersionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,399
“Versen” frequency rank
#1,341
“Version” frequency rank
30740
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Versen Version
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Vers eine von mehreren Möglichkeiten

Where the eye mixes Versen and Version

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Versen
7 ch
Version

Visual trap between Versen and Version

A purely visual mix-up. Versen ([ˈfɛʁzn̩]) and Version ([vɛʁˈzi̯oːn]) 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 30740, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Versen is recorded at frequency rank #29,399, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛʁzn̩]. Version is at rank #1,341, tagged as anoun, pronounced [vɛʁˈzi̯oːn].

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 30740, this pair ranks #1,741,994 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Versen vs Version

Shared letters: enrsv. Private to "Versen": -. Private to "Version": io.

"Versen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Version" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Versenevrsen · veresn · verrsen · versenn · versne · verssen · vesren · vresen
  • Versionevrsion · verison · verrsion · versino · versionn · versoin · verssion · vesrion

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Versen" for "Version" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfɛʁzn̩] versus [vɛʁˈzi̯oːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Versen" or "Version" show up more?
"Version" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,341 in our German list, against #29,399 for "Versen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Versen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Version" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,741,994 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Versen" and "Version" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Velten vs Versen". 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 #1,741,994 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list