versprechenvsversprocheneWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: versprechen is a verb, versprochene is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“versprechen” is a verb and “versprochene” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,286
“versprechen” frequency rank
#30,847
“versprochene” frequency rank
34133
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versprechen versprochene
Definition etwas verbindlich zusagen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs versprochen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set versprechen and versprochene apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
versprechen
12 ch
versprochene

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

versprechen and versprochene form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34133, 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]. versprochene is at rank #30,847, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɔxənə].

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 34133, this pair ranks #1,670,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

versprechen#3,286
versprochene#30,847

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versprechen" and "versprochene" be used interchangeably?
No, "versprechen" and "versprochene" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering versprechen vs versprochene

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “versprechen”; for an adjective, it's “versprochene”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “versprechen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list