Which to use
“versprachen” and “vorsprechen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,915
- “versprachen” frequency rank
- #49,367
- “vorsprechen” frequency rank
- 78282
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versprachen | vorsprechen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs versprechen | (eine höhergestellte Person, die etwas zu sagen hat) besuchen und um etwas bitten |
Where the eye mixes versprachen and vorsprechen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses versprachen with vorsprechen
A purely visual mix-up. versprachen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁaːxn̩]) and vorsprechen ([ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃpʁɛçn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78282, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
versprachen is recorded at frequency rank #28,915, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁaːxn̩]. vorsprechen is at rank #49,367, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfoːɐ̯ˌʃpʁɛçn̩].
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 78282, this pair ranks #241,810 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of versprachen vs vorsprechen
Shared letters: cehnprsv. Private to "versprachen": a. Private to "vorsprechen": o.
"versprachen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "vorsprechen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- versprachen ← evrsprachen · verpsrachen · verrsprachen · versparchen · verspprachen · verspracchen · verspracehn · versprachenn
- vorsprechen ← ovrsprechen · vorpsrechen · vorrsprechen · vorsperchen · vorspprechen · vorsprcehen · vorsprecchen · vorsprecehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "versprachen" and "vorsprechen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "versprachen" vs "vorsprechen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "versprachen" and "vorsprechen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "versprachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vorsprechen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #241,810 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versprachen" and "vorsprechen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versprachen vs verstrichen". 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 #241,810 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.