Which to use
“versteigern” and “versteuern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,021
- “versteigern” frequency rank
- #32,345
- “versteuern” frequency rank
- 77366
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | versteigern | versteuern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bei einer Auktion verkaufen | auf etwas Abgaben an den Staat (Steuern) zahlen |
Where the eye mixes versteigern and versteuern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. versteigern runs 11 letters (CVCCCVVCVCC) against versteuern's 10 (CVCCCVVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between versteigern and versteuern
A purely visual mix-up. versteigern ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡɐn]) and versteuern ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɔɪ̯ɐn]) 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 77366, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
versteigern is recorded at frequency rank #45,021, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡɐn]. versteuern is at rank #32,345, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɔɪ̯ɐn].
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 77366, this pair ranks #262,378 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of versteigern vs versteuern
Shared letters: enrstv. Private to "versteigern": gi. Private to "versteuern": u.
"versteigern" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCC · "versteuern" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- versteigern ← evrsteigern · verrsteigern · versetigern · verssteigern · verstegiern · versteiegrn · versteigenr · versteigernn
- versteuern ← evrsteuern · verrsteuern · versetuern · verssteuern · versteeurn · versteuenr · versteuernn · versteuerrn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "versteigern" and "versteuern" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "versteigern" or "versteuern" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "versteigern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "versteuern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #262,378 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "versteigern" and "versteuern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versteuern vs versteuert". 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 #262,378 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.