verbietenvsverbissenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,229
“verbieten” frequency rank
#36,700
“verbissen” frequency rank
41929
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verbieten verbissen
Definition Unterlassung fordern Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verbeißen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verbieten and verbissen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
verbieten
9 ch
verbissen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verbieten ([fɛɐ̯ˈbiːtn̩]) and verbissen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbɪsn̩]) 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 41929, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verbieten is recorded at frequency rank #5,229, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbiːtn̩]. verbissen is at rank #36,700, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbɪsn̩].

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 41929, this pair ranks #1,464,802 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verbieten vs verbissen

Shared letters: beinrv. Private to "verbieten": t. Private to "verbissen": s.

"verbieten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC  ·  "verbissen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verbietenevrbieten · vebrieten · verbbieten · verbeiten · verbieetn · verbietenn · verbietne · verbietten
  • verbissenevrbissen · vebrissen · verbbissen · verbisen · verbisesn · verbissenn · verbissne · verbißen

Frequency comparison

verbieten#5,229
verbissen#36,700

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verbieten" and "verbissen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈbiːtn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈbɪsn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verbieten" or "verbissen"?
"verbieten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,229 in our German list, against #36,700 for "verbissen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verbieten vs verbissen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verbieten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list