versorgenvsversorgtenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#6,252
“versorgen” frequency rank
#39,698
“versorgten” frequency rank
45950
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versorgen versorgten
Definition jemandem oder einer Sache Nötiges zuführen Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs versorgt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set versorgen and versorgten apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
versorgen
10 ch
versorgten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: versorgen is [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔʁɡn̩] while versorgten is [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔʁktn̩]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45950, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versorgen is recorded at frequency rank #6,252, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔʁɡn̩]. versorgten is at rank #39,698, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzɔʁktn̩].

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 45950, this pair ranks #1,335,669 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versorgen vs versorgten

Shared letters: egnorsv. Private to "versorgen": -. Private to "versorgten": t.

"versorgen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "versorgten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versorgenevrsorgen · verosrgen · verrsorgen · versogren · versoregn · versorgenn · versorggen · versorgne
  • versorgtenevrsorgten · verosrgten · verrsorgten · versogrten · versorgetn · versorggten · versorgtenn · versorgtne

Frequency comparison

versorgen#6,252
versorgten#39,698

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versorgen" and "versorgten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "versorgen" is a verb and "versorgten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "versorgen" or "versorgten"?
"versorgen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,252 in our German list, against #39,698 for "versorgten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering versorgen vs versorgten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “versorgen”; for an adjective, it's “versorgten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “versorgen” 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