variierenvsvariiertWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“variieren” and “variiert” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#14,444
“variieren” frequency rank
#13,051
“variiert” frequency rank
27495
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature variieren variiert
Definition etwas teilweise ändern 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs variieren

Where the eye mixes variieren and variiert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. variieren runs 9 letters (CVCVVVCVC) against variiert's 8 (CVCVVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
variieren
8 ch
variiert

Why the eye confuses variieren with variiert

A purely visual mix-up. variieren ([vaʁiˈiːʁən]) and variiert ([vaʁiˈiːɐ̯t]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27495, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

variieren is recorded at frequency rank #14,444, classified as averb, pronounced [vaʁiˈiːʁən]. variiert is at rank #13,051, tagged as averb, pronounced [vaʁiˈiːɐ̯t].

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 27495, this pair ranks #1,800,874 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of variieren vs variiert

Shared letters: aeirv. Private to "variieren": n. Private to "variiert": t.

"variieren" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVVCVC  ·  "variiert" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • variieren ← avriieren · vairieren · varieiren · varieren · variieern · variierenn · variierne · variierren
  • variiert ← avriiert · vairiert · varieirt · variert · variierrt · variiertt · variietr · variiret

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "variieren" and "variiert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vaʁiˈiːʁən] versus [vaʁiˈiːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "variieren" vs "variiert" - which ranks higher?
"variiert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,051 in our German list, against #14,444 for "variieren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "variieren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "variiert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,800,874 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "variieren" and "variiert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "variiert vs verziert". 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 #1,800,874 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