versuchenvsversuchstConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#788
“versuchen” frequency rank
#10,392
“versuchst” frequency rank
11180
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature versuchen versuchst
Definition mit ungewissem Erfolg etwas beginnen, anstreben 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs versuchen

Where the eye mixes versuchen and versuchst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. versuchen (CVCCVCCVC) and versuchst (CVCCVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

9 ch
versuchen
9 ch
versuchst

Look-alike desk: versuchen vs versuchst

A purely visual mix-up. versuchen ([fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxn̩]) and versuchst ([fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxst]) 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 11180, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

versuchen is recorded at frequency rank #788, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxn̩]. versuchst is at rank #10,392, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxst].

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 11180, this pair ranks #1,971,260 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of versuchen vs versuchst

Shared letters: cehrsuv. Private to "versuchen": n. Private to "versuchst": t.

"versuchen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "versuchst" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • versuchen ← evrsuchen · verrsuchen · verscuhen · verssuchen · versucchen · versucehn · versuchenn · versuchhen
  • versuchst ← evrsuchst · verrsuchst · verscuhst · verssuchst · versucchst · versuchhst · versuchsst · versuchstt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "versuchen" for "versuchst" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "versuchen" or "versuchst" show up more?
"versuchen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #788 in our German list, against #10,392 for "versuchst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "versuchen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "versuchst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,971,260 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "versuchen" and "versuchst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verbucht vs versuchst". 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 #1,971,260 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