verfielvsverrietWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,841
“verfiel” frequency rank
#19,756
“verriet” frequency rank
49597
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verfiel verriet
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verfallen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verraten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verfiel and verriet apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
verfiel
7 ch
verriet

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verfiel ([fɛɐ̯ˈfiːl]) and verriet ([fɛɐ̯ˈʁiːt]) 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 49597, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verfiel is recorded at frequency rank #29,841, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈfiːl]. verriet is at rank #19,756, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʁiːt].

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 49597, this pair ranks #1,205,445 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verfiel vs verriet

Shared letters: eirv. Private to "verfiel": fl. Private to "verriet": t.

"verfiel" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "verriet" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verfielevrfiel · vefriel · verfeil · verffiel · verfiell · verfile · verifel · verrfiel
  • verrietevrriet · veriet · veriret · verreit · verriett · verrite · vreriet · vverriet

Frequency comparison

verfiel#29,841
verriet#19,756

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verfiel" and "verriet" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈfiːl] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʁiːt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verfiel" or "verriet"?
"verriet" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,756 in our German list, against #29,841 for "verfiel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verfiel vs verriet

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 “verfiel” 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