Which to use
“versinken” is a verb and “versunken” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,197
- “versinken” frequency rank
- #26,671
- “versunken” frequency rank
- 48868
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versinken | versunken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in eine weiche Materie eintauchen | irgendwo drin, zum Beispiel unter der Wasseroberfläche, verschwunden |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set versinken and versunken apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: versinken is [fɛɐ̯ˈzɪŋkn̩] while versunken is [fɛɐ̯ˈzʊŋkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “versinken” becomes u in “versunken”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48868, 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]. 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 48868, this pair ranks #1,232,565 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of versinken vs versunken
Shared letters: eknrsv. Private to "versinken": i. Private to "versunken": u.
"versinken" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "versunken" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "versinken" and "versunken" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "versinken" or "versunken"?
Remembering versinken vs versunken
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “versinken”; for an adjective, it's “versunken”.
- 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