versagen
[fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩]
The verdict
“versagen” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #6,119 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #6,119
- frequency rank, German
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - nicht so funktionieren, wie es geplant war oder üblich ist
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | versagen |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #6,119 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “versagen” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for versagen is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #6,119 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for versagen, with forms such as "evrsagen", "verasgen", and "verrsagen". 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, "Versen", "versagt", "versehen", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is versagen, spelled V-E-R-S-A-G-E-N.
Definition
- 1nicht so funktionieren, wie es geplant war oder üblich ist
- 2jemandem oder sich selbst etwas nicht gönnen/geben
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: evrsagen,verasgen,verrsagen,versaegn,versagenn,versaggen,versagne,versgaen,verssagen,vesragen,vresagen,vversagen
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of versagen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "versagen"?
What does "versagen" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “versagen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is V-E-R-S-A-G-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [fɛɐ̯ˈzaːɡn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Versen” - see the side-by-side comparison. versagen vs Versen
- 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.