versprechenvsversprochenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#3,286
“versprechen” frequency rank
#4,237
“versprochen” frequency rank
7523
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versprechen versprochen
Definition etwas verbindlich zusagen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs versprechen

Where the eye mixes versprechen and versprochen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence.

11 ch
versprechen
11 ch
versprochen

Look-alike desk: versprechen vs versprochen

A purely visual mix-up. versprechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɛçn̩]) and versprochen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɔxn̩]) 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 “versprechen” becomes o in “versprochen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versprechen is recorded at frequency rank #3,286, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɛçn̩]. versprochen is at rank #4,237, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɔxn̩].

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 7523, this pair ranks #1,987,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of versprechen vs versprochen

Shared letters: cehnprsv. Private to "versprechen": -. Private to "versprochen": o.

"versprechen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC  ·  "versprochen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versprechenevrsprechen · verpsrechen · verrsprechen · versperchen · verspprechen · versprcehen · versprecchen · versprecehn
  • versprochenevrsprochen · verpsrochen · verrsprochen · versporchen · verspprochen · versprcohen · versprocchen · versprocehn

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "versprechen" for "versprochen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɛçn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɔxn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "versprechen" vs "versprochen" - which ranks higher?
"versprechen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,286 in our German list, against #4,237 for "versprochen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "versprechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "versprochen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,987,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versprechen" and "versprochen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versprochen vs vorsprechen". 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 #1,987,849 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