verfangen

[fɛɐ̯ˈfaŋən]

/[fɛɐ̯ˈfaŋən]/ verb

The verdict

“verfangen” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #40,277 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#40,277
frequency rank, German
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - den gewünschten oder beabsichtigten Erfolg haben; wirken

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

verfangen vs verfügen
78% similar
verfangen vs versagen
78% similar
verfangen vs verlange
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for verfangen
PropertyValue
Headwordverfangen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[fɛɐ̯ˈfaŋən]
Letters9
Frequency rank#40,277
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “verfangen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). verfangen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for verfangen is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [fɛɐ̯ˈfaŋən]. Corpus data places it at rank #40,277 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for verfangen, with forms such as "evrfangen", "vefrangen", and "verafngen". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "verfügen", "versagen", "verlange", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is verfangen, spelled V-E-R-F-A-N-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    den gewünschten oder beabsichtigten Erfolg haben; wirken
  2. 2
    in etwas hängen bleiben; sich verheddern

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: evrfangen,vefrangen,verafngen,verfagnen,verfanegn,verfangenn,verfanggen,verfangne,verfanngen,verffangen,verfnagen,verrfangen,vrefangen,vverfangen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of verfangen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

evrfangen2vefrangen2verafngen2verfagnen2verfanegn2verfangenn1verfanggen1verfangne2
Edit distance from "verfangen"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "verfangen"?
"verfangen" is spelled V-E-R-F-A-N-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [fɛɐ̯ˈfaŋən].
What does "verfangen" mean?
As a verb, "verfangen" means: den gewünschten oder beabsichtigten Erfolg haben; wirken
What words are commonly confused with "verfangen"?
"verfangen" is commonly confused with "verfügen", "versagen", "verlange". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "verfangen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "verfangen" is [fɛɐ̯ˈfaŋən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "verfangen" come from?
"verfangen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “verfangen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is V-E-R-F-A-N-G-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [fɛɐ̯ˈfaŋən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “verfügen” - see the side-by-side comparison. verfangen vs verfügen
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list