Which to use
“verzeihen” is a verb and “Verzeihung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,200
- “verzeihen” frequency rank
- #17,455
- “Verzeihung” frequency rank
- 29655
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verzeihen | Verzeihung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas nachsehen | das Vergeben eines Fehlverhaltens, die Annahme einer Entschuldigung |
Where the eye mixes verzeihen and Verzeihung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verzeihen runs 9 letters (CVCCVVCVC) against Verzeihung's 10 (CVCCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between verzeihen and Verzeihung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: verzeihen is [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ən] while Verzeihung is [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29655, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verzeihen is recorded at frequency rank #12,200, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ən]. Verzeihung is at rank #17,455, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ʊŋ].
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 29655, this pair ranks #1,762,758 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verzeihen vs Verzeihung
Shared letters: ehinrvz. Private to "verzeihen": -. Private to "Verzeihung": gu.
"verzeihen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "Verzeihung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verzeihen ← evrzeihen · verezihen · verrzeihen · verzehien · verzeiehn · verzeihenn · verzeihhen · verzeihne
- Verzeihung ← evrzeihung · verezihung · verrzeihung · verzehiung · verzeihhung · verzeihnug · verzeihugn · verzeihungg
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verzeihen" and "Verzeihung" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "verzeihen" or "Verzeihung" show up more?
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 "verzeihen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Verzeihung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,762,758 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verzeihen" and "Verzeihung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verzeihung vs Verzerrung". 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 #1,762,758 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.