versenkenvsVersenkungTell them apart

Quick tell: versenken is a verb, Versenkung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“versenken” is a verb and “Versenkung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,951
“versenken” frequency rank
#25,384
“Versenkung” frequency rank
48335
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versenken Versenkung
Definition in einem anderen Objekt bündig verschwinden lassen Handlung, mit der erreicht wird, dass ein Schiff oder ein anderer Gegenstand nicht mehr auf dem/im Wasser schwimmen kann

Where the eye mixes versenken and Versenkung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. versenken runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against Versenkung's 10 (CVCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
versenken
10 ch
Versenkung

Visual trap between versenken and Versenkung

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: versenken is [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkn̩] while Versenkung is [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versenken is recorded at frequency rank #22,951, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkn̩]. Versenkung is at rank #25,384, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɛŋkʊŋ].

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 48335, this pair ranks #1,252,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versenken vs Versenkung

Shared letters: eknrsv. Private to "versenken": -. Private to "Versenkung": gu.

"versenken" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "Versenkung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versenken ← evrsenken · veresnken · verrsenken · verseknen · versenekn · versenkenn · versenkken · versenkne
  • Versenkung ← evrsenkung · veresnkung · verrsenkung · verseknung · versenkkung · versenknug · versenkugn · versenkungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versenken" and "Versenkung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "versenken" is a verb and "Versenkung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "versenken" vs "Versenkung" - which ranks higher?
"versenken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,951 in our German list, against #25,384 for "Versenkung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "versenken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Versenkung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,252,309 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versenken" and "Versenkung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verengung vs Versenkung". 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 #1,252,309 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