BildvsbuildConfusable pair

Quick tell: Bild is a noun, build is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Bild” is a noun and “build” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#349
“Bild” frequency rank
#27,656
“build” frequency rank
28005
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Bild build
Definition (künstlerische) zweidimensionale Darstellung und Wiedergabe in Form eines Gemäldes, einer Zeichnung oder Grafik bauen, errichten (ein Gebäude, etc.), erbauen

Where the eye mixes Bild and build

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Bild
5 ch
build

Visual trap between Bild and build

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Bild is [bɪlt] while build is [bɪld]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28005, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Bild is recorded at frequency rank #349, classified as anoun, pronounced [bɪlt]. build is at rank #27,656, tagged as averb, pronounced [bɪld].

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 28005, this pair ranks #1,792,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Bild vs build

Shared letters: bdil. Private to "Bild": -. Private to "build": u.

"Bild" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "build" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bildbbild · bidl · bildd · billd · blid · ibld
  • buildbbuild · biuld · buidl · buildd · builld · bulid · ubild

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Bild" and "build" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Bild" is a noun and "build" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Bild" vs "build" - which ranks higher?
"Bild" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #349 in our German list, against #27,656 for "build". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "Bild" and "build" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Bild" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "build" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,792,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Bild" and "build" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bühl vs build". 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 #1,792,219 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list