verbindenvsverhindernWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,857
“verbinden” frequency rank
#1,494
“verhindern” frequency rank
5351
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verbinden verhindern
Definition mit einer Binde abdecken, mit einem Verband versorgen bewirken, dass etwas nicht geschieht oder dass jemand etwas nicht tun kann

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verbinden and verhindern apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
verbinden
10 ch
verhindern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verbinden ([fɛɐ̯ˈbɪndn̩]) and verhindern ([fɛɐ̯ˈhɪndɐn]) 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 5351, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verbinden is recorded at frequency rank #3,857, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbɪndn̩]. verhindern is at rank #1,494, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhɪndɐn].

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 5351, this pair ranks #1,995,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verbinden vs verhindern

Shared letters: deinrv. Private to "verbinden": b. Private to "verhindern": h.

"verbinden" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "verhindern" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verbindenevrbinden · vebrinden · verbbinden · verbidnen · verbindden · verbindenn · verbindne · verbinedn
  • verhindernevrhindern · vehrindern · verhhindern · verhidnern · verhinddern · verhindenr · verhindernn · verhinderrn

Frequency comparison

verbinden#3,857
verhindern#1,494

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verbinden" and "verhindern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈbɪndn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈhɪndɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verbinden" or "verhindern"?
"verhindern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,494 in our German list, against #3,857 for "verbinden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verbinden vs verhindern

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 “verbinden” 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