variiertvsverliertWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#13,051
“variiert” frequency rank
#2,223
“verliert” frequency rank
15274
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature variiert verliert
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs variieren 3. Person Singular Präsens Indikativ des Verbs verlieren

Where the eye mixes variiert and verliert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. variiert (CVCVVVCC) and verliert (CVCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
variiert
8 ch
verliert

Look-alike desk: variiert vs verliert

A purely visual mix-up. variiert ([vaʁiˈiːɐ̯t]) and verliert ([fɛɐ̯ˈliːɐ̯t]) 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 15274, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

variiert is recorded at frequency rank #13,051, classified as averb, pronounced [vaʁiˈiːɐ̯t]. verliert is at rank #2,223, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈliːɐ̯t].

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 15274, this pair ranks #1,945,131 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of variiert vs verliert

Shared letters: eirtv. Private to "variiert": a. Private to "verliert": l.

"variiert" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVVCC  ·  "verliert" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • variiert ← avriiert · vairiert · varieirt · variert · variierrt · variiertt · variietr · variiret
  • verliert ← evrliert · velriert · verilert · verleirt · verlierrt · verliertt · verlietr · verliret

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "variiert" for "verliert" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([vaʁiˈiːɐ̯t] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈliːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "variiert" or "verliert" show up more?
"verliert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,223 in our German list, against #13,051 for "variiert". 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 "variiert" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verliert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,945,131 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "variiert" and "verliert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verliert vs vorliest". 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 #1,945,131 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