VersteigerungvsVerweigerungConfusable pair

Which to use

“Versteigerung” and “Verweigerung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#20,775
“Versteigerung” frequency rank
#22,201
“Verweigerung” frequency rank
42976
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Versteigerung Verweigerung
Definition Veranstaltung, wo mehrere Personen (Bieter) ihr Gebot zu einer Sache abgeben können Ablehnung von etwas Erwünschtem

Where the eye mixes Versteigerung and Verweigerung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. Versteigerung runs 13 letters (CVCCCVVCVCVCC) against Verweigerung's 12 (CVCCVVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
Versteigerung
12 ch
Verweigerung

Why the eye confuses Versteigerung with Verweigerung

A purely visual mix-up. Versteigerung ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ]) and Verweigerung ([fɛɐ̯ˈvaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ]) 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 42976, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Versteigerung is recorded at frequency rank #20,775, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ]. Verweigerung is at rank #22,201, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ].

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 42976, this pair ranks #1,432,478 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Versteigerung vs Verweigerung

Shared letters: eginruv. Private to "Versteigerung": st. Private to "Verweigerung": w.

"Versteigerung" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCVCC  ·  "Verweigerung" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Versteigerung ← evrsteigerung · verrsteigerung · versetigerung · verssteigerung · verstegierung · versteiegrung · versteigernug · versteigerrung
  • Verweigerung ← evrweigerung · verewigerung · verrweigerung · verwegierung · verweiegrung · verweigernug · verweigerrung · verweigerugn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Versteigerung" and "Verweigerung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈvaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Versteigerung" or "Verweigerung" show up more?
"Versteigerung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,775 in our German list, against #22,201 for "Verweigerung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Versteigerung" and "Verweigerung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Versteigerung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Verweigerung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,432,478 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Versteigerung" and "Verweigerung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "versteigern vs Versteigerung". 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 #1,432,478 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