variierenvsverlierenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,444
“variieren” frequency rank
#1,375
“verlieren” frequency rank
15819
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature variieren verlieren
Definition etwas teilweise ändern etwas irgendwo hinlegen und es später nicht mehr wiederfinden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set variieren and verlieren apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
variieren
9 ch
verlieren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. variieren ([vaʁiˈiːʁən]) and verlieren ([fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15819, 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]. verlieren is at rank #1,375, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən].

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 15819, this pair ranks #1,940,895 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of variieren vs verlieren

Shared letters: einrv. Private to "variieren": a. Private to "verlieren": l.

"variieren" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVVCVC  ·  "verlieren" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • variierenavriieren · vairieren · varieiren · varieren · variieern · variierenn · variierne · variierren
  • verlierenevrlieren · velrieren · verileren · verleiren · verlieern · verlierenn · verlierne · verlierren

Frequency comparison

variieren#14,444
verlieren#1,375

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "variieren" and "verlieren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([vaʁiˈiːʁən] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "variieren" or "verlieren"?
"verlieren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,375 in our German list, against #14,444 for "variieren". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering variieren vs verlieren

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “variieren” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list