versinkenvsversinktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,197
“versinken” frequency rank
#24,979
“versinkt” frequency rank
47176
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versinken versinkt
Definition in eine weiche Materie eintauchen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs versinken

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
versinken
8 ch
versinkt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. versinken ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɪŋkn̩]) and versinkt ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɪŋkt]) 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 47176, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versinken is recorded at frequency rank #22,197, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɪŋkn̩]. versinkt is at rank #24,979, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɪŋkt].

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 47176, this pair ranks #1,293,585 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versinken vs versinkt

Shared letters: eiknrsv. Private to "versinken": -. Private to "versinkt": t.

"versinken" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "versinkt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versinkenevrsinken · verisnken · verrsinken · versiknen · versinekn · versinkenn · versinkken · versinkne
  • versinktevrsinkt · verisnkt · verrsinkt · versiknt · versinkkt · versinktt · versinnkt · versintk

Frequency comparison

versinken#22,197
versinkt#24,979

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versinken" and "versinkt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɪŋkn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈzɪŋkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "versinken" or "versinkt"?
"versinken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,197 in our German list, against #24,979 for "versinkt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering versinken vs versinkt

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 “versinken” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list