Which to use
“verzeih” and “verzeihen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,369
- “verzeih” frequency rank
- #12,200
- “verzeihen” frequency rank
- 42569
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verzeih | verzeihen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verzeihen | jemandem etwas nachsehen |
Where the eye mixes verzeih and verzeihen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. verzeih runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against verzeihen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verzeih with verzeihen
A purely visual mix-up. verzeih ([fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯]) 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 differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “verzeih” sits inside “verzeihen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42569, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verzeih is recorded at frequency rank #30,369, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯]. 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 42569, this pair ranks #1,445,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verzeih vs verzeihen
Shared letters: ehirvz. Private to "verzeih": -. Private to "verzeihen": n.
"verzeih" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "verzeihen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verzeih" for "verzeihen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "verzeih" vs "verzeihen" - which ranks higher?
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 "verzeih" 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 #1,445,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verzeih" and "verzeihen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verzeih vs verzieh". 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 #1,445,315 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.