versendenvsversunkenConfusable pair

Quick tell: versenden is a verb, versunken is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“versenden” is a verb and “versunken” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#16,870
“versenden” frequency rank
#26,671
“versunken” frequency rank
43541
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versenden versunken
Definition Nachrichten oder Gegenstände in einen Beförderungsauftrag geben irgendwo drin, zum Beispiel unter der Wasseroberfläche, verschwunden

Where the eye mixes versenden and versunken

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

9 ch
versenden
9 ch
versunken

Look-alike desk: versenden vs versunken

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: versenden is [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛndn̩] while versunken is [fɛɐ̯ˈzʊŋkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43541, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versenden is recorded at frequency rank #16,870, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛndn̩]. versunken is at rank #26,671, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzʊŋkn̩].

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 43541, this pair ranks #1,414,857 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versenden vs versunken

Shared letters: enrsv. Private to "versenden": d. Private to "versunken": ku.

"versenden" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "versunken" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versendenevrsenden · veresnden · verrsenden · versednen · versendden · versendenn · versendne · versenedn
  • versunkenevrsunken · verrsunken · versnuken · verssunken · versuknen · versunekn · versunkenn · versunkken

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "versenden" for "versunken" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "versenden" is a verb and "versunken" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "versenden" vs "versunken" - which ranks higher?
"versenden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,870 in our German list, against #26,671 for "versunken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "versenden" and "versunken" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "versenden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "versunken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,414,857 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versenden" and "versunken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vergeuden vs versenden". 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 #1,414,857 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