verbissenvsverpassenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,700
“verbissen” frequency rank
#5,127
“verpassen” frequency rank
41827
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verbissen verpassen
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verbeißen ein Ereignis nicht miterleben

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
verbissen
9 ch
verpassen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verbissen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbɪsn̩]) and verpassen ([fɛɐ̯ˈpasn̩]) 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 41827, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verbissen is recorded at frequency rank #36,700, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbɪsn̩]. verpassen is at rank #5,127, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈpasn̩].

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 41827, this pair ranks #1,467,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verbissen vs verpassen

Shared letters: enrsv. Private to "verbissen": bi. Private to "verpassen": ap.

"verbissen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "verpassen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verbissenevrbissen · vebrissen · verbbissen · verbisen · verbisesn · verbissenn · verbissne · verbißen
  • verpassenevrpassen · veprassen · verapssen · verpasen · verpasesn · verpassenn · verpassne · verpaßen

Frequency comparison

verbissen#36,700
verpassen#5,127

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verbissen" and "verpassen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈbɪsn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈpasn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verbissen" or "verpassen"?
"verpassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,127 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 verbissen vs verpassen

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 “verbissen” 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