VDE vs vice, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“VDE” is an abbrev and “vice” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#29,390
“VDE” frequency rank: #12,622
“vice” frequency rank: 42012
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	VDE	vice
Definition	Verband deutscher Elektrotechniker; VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e. V.	Laster, Untugend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set VDE and vice apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

VDE

4 ch

vice

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: VDE is anabbrev and viceanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42012, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

VDE is recorded at frequency rank #29,390, classified as anabbrev, pronounced […]. vice is at rank #12,622, tagged as anoun, pronounced [vis].

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 42012, this pair ranks #1,462,264 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of VDE vs vice

Shared letters: ev. Private to "VDE": d. Private to "vice": ci.

"VDE" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "vice" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

vice ← ivce · vcie · vicce · viec · vvice

Frequency comparison

VDE#29,390

vice#12,622

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "VDE" and "vice" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "VDE" is an abbrev and "vice" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "VDE" or "vice"?

"vice" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,622 in our German list, against #29,390 for "VDE". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering VDE vs vice

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an abbrev, it's “VDE”; for a noun, it's “vice”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “VDE” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable