verfehlenvsverteilenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,213
“verfehlen” frequency rank
#4,573
“verteilen” frequency rank
30786
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verfehlen verteilen
Definition ein Ziel nicht treffen, nicht erreichen mehreren Personen einen Teil von etwas geben

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
verfehlen
9 ch
verteilen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verfehlen ([fɛɐ̯ˈfeːlən]) and verteilen ([fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən]) 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 30786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verfehlen is recorded at frequency rank #26,213, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈfeːlən]. verteilen is at rank #4,573, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən].

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 30786, this pair ranks #1,741,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verfehlen vs verteilen

Shared letters: elnrv. Private to "verfehlen": fh. Private to "verteilen": it.

"verfehlen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "verteilen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verfehlenevrfehlen · vefrehlen · verefhlen · verfeheln · verfehhlen · verfehlenn · verfehllen · verfehlne
  • verteilenevrteilen · veretilen · verrteilen · verteieln · verteilenn · verteillen · verteilne · vertelien

Frequency comparison

verfehlen#26,213
verteilen#4,573

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verfehlen" and "verteilen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈfeːlən] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verfehlen" or "verteilen"?
"verteilen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,573 in our German list, against #26,213 for "verfehlen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verfehlen vs verteilen

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 “verfehlen” 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