Which to use
“verarschen” and “verwischen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,651
- “verarschen” frequency rank
- #32,842
- “verwischen” frequency rank
- 42493
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verarschen | verwischen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem zu seinem eigenen Vorteil beziehungsweise zur allgemeinen Belustigung eine Unwahrheit erzählen, sich über jemanden lustig machen | etwas unklar machen/verschmieren, indem man zum Beispiel etwas noch Feuchtes zu früh berührt |
Where the eye mixes verarschen and verwischen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verarschen (CVCVCCCCVC) and verwischen (CVCCVCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: verarschen vs verwischen
A purely visual mix-up. verarschen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔaʁʃn̩]) and verwischen ([fɛɐ̯ˈvɪʃn̩]) 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 42493, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verarschen is recorded at frequency rank #9,651, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔaʁʃn̩]. verwischen is at rank #32,842, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvɪʃn̩].
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 42493, this pair ranks #1,447,602 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verarschen vs verwischen
Shared letters: cehnrsv. Private to "verarschen": a. Private to "verwischen": iw.
"verarschen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVC · "verwischen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verarschen ← evrarschen · vearrschen · verarcshen · verarrschen · verarscchen · verarscehn · verarschenn · verarschhen
- verwischen ← evrwischen · veriwschen · verrwischen · verwicshen · verwiscchen · verwiscehn · verwischenn · verwischhen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verarschen" and "verwischen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "verarschen" or "verwischen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verarschen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verwischen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,447,602 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verarschen" and "verwischen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verwischen vs verwischt". 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 #1,447,602 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.