Which to use
“versprechen” and “verstrichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,286
- “versprechen” frequency rank
- #42,919
- “verstrichen” frequency rank
- 46205
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versprechen | verstrichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas verbindlich zusagen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verstreichen |
Where the eye mixes versprechen and verstrichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses versprechen with verstrichen
A purely visual mix-up. versprechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɛçn̩]) and verstrichen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɪçn̩]) 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 46205, 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]. verstrichen is at rank #42,919, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɪçn̩].
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 46205, this pair ranks #1,326,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of versprechen vs verstrichen
Shared letters: cehnrsv. Private to "versprechen": p. Private to "verstrichen": it.
"versprechen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "verstrichen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- versprechen ← evrsprechen · verpsrechen · verrsprechen · versperchen · verspprechen · versprcehen · versprecchen · versprecehn
- verstrichen ← evrstrichen · verrstrichen · versrtichen · versstrichen · verstirchen · verstrcihen · verstricchen · verstricehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "versprechen" and "verstrichen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "versprechen" or "verstrichen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "versprechen" and "verstrichen" 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 "verstrichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,326,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versprechen" and "verstrichen" 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 #1,326,977 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.