Which to use
“versprechen” and “vorsprechen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,286
- “versprechen” frequency rank
- #49,367
- “vorsprechen” frequency rank
- 52653
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versprechen | vorsprechen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas verbindlich zusagen | (eine höhergestellte Person, die etwas zu sagen hat) besuchen und um etwas bitten |
Where the eye mixes versprechen and vorsprechen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses versprechen with vorsprechen
A purely visual mix-up. versprechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃpʁɛçn̩]) 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 differ by a single letter - e in “versprechen” becomes o in “vorsprechen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52653, 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]. 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 52653, this pair ranks #1,088,510 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of versprechen vs vorsprechen
Shared letters: cehnprsv. Private to "versprechen": -. Private to "vorsprechen": o.
"versprechen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC · "vorsprechen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- versprechen ← evrsprechen · verpsrechen · verrsprechen · versperchen · verspprechen · versprcehen · versprecchen · versprecehn
- vorsprechen ← ovrsprechen · vorpsrechen · vorrsprechen · vorsperchen · vorspprechen · vorsprcehen · vorsprecchen · vorsprecehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "versprechen" and "vorsprechen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "versprechen" or "vorsprechen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "versprechen" and "vorsprechen" 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 "vorsprechen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,088,510 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versprechen" and "vorsprechen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versprachen 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 #1,088,510 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.