VektorvsVetterWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#30,835
“Vektor” frequency rank
#11,996
“Vetter” frequency rank
42831
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vektor Vetter
Definition Element eines Vektorraums Sohn des Bruders des Vaters

Where the eye mixes Vektor and Vetter

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Vektor and Vetter follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

6 ch
Vektor
6 ch
Vetter

Visual trap between Vektor and Vetter

A purely visual mix-up. Vektor ([ˈvɛktoːɐ̯]) and Vetter ([ˈfɛtɐ]) 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 42831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vektor is recorded at frequency rank #30,835, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvɛktoːɐ̯]. Vetter is at rank #11,996, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfɛtɐ].

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 42831, this pair ranks #1,437,127 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Vektor vs Vetter

Shared letters: ertv. Private to "Vektor": ko. Private to "Vetter": -.

"Vektor" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Vetter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vektor ← evktor · vekktor · vekotr · vektorr · vektro · vekttor · vetkor · vketor
  • Vetter ← evtter · veter · vetetr · vetterr · vettre · vteter · vvetter

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Vektor" for "Vetter" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvɛktoːɐ̯] versus [ˈfɛtɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Vektor" or "Vetter"?
"Vetter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,996 in our German list, against #30,835 for "Vektor". 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 "Vektor" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Vetter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,437,127 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vektor" and "Vetter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vektor vs Vektoren". 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 #1,437,127 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