Which to use
“verachten” and “vernichten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,433
- “verachten” frequency rank
- #8,478
- “vernichten” frequency rank
- 27911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verachten | vernichten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas oder jemanden geringschätzen/verabscheuen | zerstören, (bewusst und unmittelbar gewaltsam) nichtigmachen |
Where the eye mixes verachten and vernichten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verachten runs 9 letters (CVCVCCCVC) against vernichten's 10 (CVCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: verachten vs vernichten
A purely visual mix-up. verachten ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔaxtn̩]) and vernichten ([fɛɐ̯ˈnɪçtn̩]) 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 27911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verachten is recorded at frequency rank #19,433, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔaxtn̩]. vernichten is at rank #8,478, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnɪçtn̩].
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 27911, this pair ranks #1,793,796 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verachten vs vernichten
Shared letters: cehnrtv. Private to "verachten": a. Private to "vernichten": i.
"verachten" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCVC · "vernichten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verachten ← evrachten · vearchten · veracchten · verachetn · verachhten · verachtenn · verachtne · verachtten
- vernichten ← evrnichten · venrichten · verinchten · verncihten · vernicchten · vernichetn · vernichhten · vernichtenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verachten" for "vernichten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "verachten" or "vernichten"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "verachten" and "vernichten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "verachten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vernichten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,793,796 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verachten" and "vernichten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verachten vs verpachtet". 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 #1,793,796 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.