Which to use
“versprechen” and “verstreichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,286
- “versprechen” frequency rank
- #31,348
- “verstreichen” frequency rank
- 34634
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versprechen | verstreichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas verbindlich zusagen | eine verteilbare Masse auf einer Oberfläche auftragen |
Where the eye mixes versprechen and verstreichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. versprechen runs 11 letters (CVCCCCVCCVC) against verstreichen's 12 (CVCCCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between versprechen and verstreichen
A purely visual mix-up. versprechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɛçn̩]) and verstreichen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩]) 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 34634, 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]. verstreichen is at rank #31,348, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩].
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 34634, this pair ranks #1,658,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of versprechen vs verstreichen
Shared letters: cehnrsv. Private to "versprechen": p. Private to "verstreichen": it.
"versprechen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "verstreichen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- versprechen ← evrsprechen · verpsrechen · verrsprechen · versperchen · verspprechen · versprcehen · versprecchen · versprecehn
- verstreichen ← evrstreichen · verrstreichen · versrteichen · versstreichen · versterichen · verstrecihen · verstreicchen · verstreicehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "versprechen" and "verstreichen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "versprechen" or "verstreichen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "versprechen" and "verstreichen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "versprechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verstreichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,658,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versprechen" and "verstreichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verstreichen 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 #1,658,784 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.