verstecktvsverstelltTell them apart

Quick tell: versteckt is a adjective, verstellt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#4,007
“versteckt” frequency rank
#29,849
“verstellt” frequency rank
33856
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versteckt verstellt
Definition an einem unbekannten Ort verborgen, so dass man nicht gesehen oder aufgefunden werden kann 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verstellen

Where the eye mixes versteckt and verstellt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. versteckt and verstellt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
versteckt
9 ch
verstellt

Visual trap between versteckt and verstellt

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: versteckt is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛkt] while verstellt is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛlt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33856, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versteckt is recorded at frequency rank #4,007, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛkt]. verstellt is at rank #29,849, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛlt].

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 33856, this pair ranks #1,676,528 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of versteckt vs verstellt

Shared letters: erstv. Private to "versteckt": ck. Private to "verstellt": l.

"versteckt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC  ·  "verstellt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versteckt ← evrsteckt · verrsteckt · versetckt · verssteckt · verstcekt · verstecckt · versteckkt · verstecktt
  • verstellt ← evrstellt · verrstellt · versetllt · versstellt · verstelltt · verstelt · versteltl · verstlelt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "versteckt" and "verstellt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "versteckt" is an adjective and "verstellt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "versteckt" or "verstellt"?
"versteckt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,007 in our German list, against #29,849 for "verstellt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "versteckt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verstellt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,676,528 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versteckt" and "verstellt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verstellen vs verstellt". 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 #1,676,528 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