Which to use
“verzehren” and “verzeihen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,919
- “verzehren” frequency rank
- #12,200
- “verzeihen” frequency rank
- 41119
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verzehren | verzeihen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | als Nahrung zu sich nehmen | jemandem etwas nachsehen |
Where the eye mixes verzehren and verzeihen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verzehren (CVCCVCCVC) and verzeihen (CVCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses verzehren with verzeihen
A purely visual mix-up. verzehren ([ˌfɛɐ̯ˈt͡seːʁən]) and verzeihen ([fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ən]) 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 41119, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verzehren is recorded at frequency rank #28,919, classified as averb, pronounced [ˌfɛɐ̯ˈt͡seːʁən]. verzeihen is at rank #12,200, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ən].
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 41119, this pair ranks #1,488,776 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verzehren vs verzeihen
Shared letters: ehnrvz. Private to "verzehren": -. Private to "verzeihen": i.
"verzehren" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "verzeihen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "verzehren" and "verzeihen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "verzehren" vs "verzeihen" - which ranks higher?
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 "verzehren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verzeihen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,488,776 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verzehren" and "verzeihen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verwahren vs verzehren". 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 #1,488,776 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.