versorgenvsvorsorgenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,252
“versorgen” frequency rank
#42,935
“vorsorgen” frequency rank
49187
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versorgen vorsorgen
Definition jemandem oder einer Sache Nötiges zuführen Maßnahmen ergreifen, um zukünftigen negativen Möglichkeiten entgegenzuwirken

Where the eye mixes versorgen and vorsorgen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. versorgen and vorsorgen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
versorgen
9 ch
vorsorgen

Why the eye confuses versorgen with vorsorgen

A purely visual mix-up. versorgen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔʁɡn̩]) and vorsorgen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɔʁɡn̩]) 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 a single letter - e in “versorgen” becomes o in “vorsorgen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49187, 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]. vorsorgen is at rank #42,935, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɔʁɡn̩].

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 49187, this pair ranks #1,220,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versorgen vs vorsorgen

Shared letters: egnorsv. Private to "versorgen": -. Private to "vorsorgen": -.

"versorgen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "vorsorgen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versorgenevrsorgen · verosrgen · verrsorgen · versogren · versoregn · versorgenn · versorggen · versorgne
  • vorsorgenovrsorgen · vorosrgen · vorrsorgen · vorsogren · vorsoregn · vorsorgenn · vorsorggen · vorsorgne

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "versorgen" and "vorsorgen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈzɔʁɡn̩] versus [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌzɔʁɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "versorgen" or "vorsorgen"?
"versorgen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,252 in our German list, against #42,935 for "vorsorgen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "versorgen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vorsorgen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,220,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versorgen" and "vorsorgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vororten vs vorsorgen". 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 #1,220,878 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