versperrenvsverspürenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,291
“versperren” frequency rank
#28,916
“verspüren” frequency rank
69207
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versperren verspüren
Definition das Passieren eines Weges verhindern etwas empfinden, spüren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set versperren and verspüren apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
versperren
9 ch
verspüren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. versperren ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpɛʁən]) and verspüren ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpyːʁən]) 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 69207, 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]. verspüren is at rank #28,916, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpyːʁən].

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 69207, this pair ranks #483,702 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of versperren vs verspüren

Shared letters: enprsv. Private to "versperren": -. Private to "verspüren": ü.

"versperren" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "verspüren" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versperrenevrsperren · verpserren · verrsperren · verseprren · versperen · versperern · versperrenn · versperrne

Frequency comparison

versperren#40,291
verspüren#28,916

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versperren" and "verspüren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpɛʁən] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpyːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "versperren" or "verspüren"?
"verspüren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,916 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.

Remembering versperren vs verspüren

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 “versperren” 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