versperrenvsversperrtWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#40,291
“versperren” frequency rank
#23,771
“versperrt” frequency rank
64062
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versperren versperrt
Definition das Passieren eines Weges verhindern 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs versperren

Where the eye mixes versperren and versperrt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

10 ch
versperren
9 ch
versperrt

Visual trap between versperren and versperrt

A purely visual mix-up. versperren ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpɛʁən]) and versperrt ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpɛʁt]) 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 64062, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versperren is recorded at frequency rank #40,291, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpɛʁən]. versperrt is at rank #23,771, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpɛʁt].

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 64062, this pair ranks #654,715 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of versperren vs versperrt

Shared letters: eprsv. Private to "versperren": n. Private to "versperrt": t.

"versperren" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "versperrt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versperrenevrsperren · verpserren · verrsperren · verseprren · versperen · versperern · versperrenn · versperrne
  • versperrtevrsperrt · verpserrt · verrsperrt · verseprrt · versperrtt · verspert · verspertr · verspperrt

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "versperren" and "versperrt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpɛʁən] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpɛʁt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "versperren" vs "versperrt" - which ranks higher?
"versperrt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,771 in our German list, against #40,291 for "versperren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "versperren" and "versperrt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "versperren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "versperrt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #654,715 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versperren" and "versperrt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verspeisen vs versperren". 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 #654,715 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