verfielvsverwiesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,841
“verfiel” frequency rank
#15,251
“verwies” frequency rank
45092
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verfiel verwies
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verfallen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verweisen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
verfiel
7 ch
verwies

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verfiel ([fɛɐ̯ˈfiːl]) and verwies ([fɛɐ̯ˈviːs]) 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 45092, 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]. verwies is at rank #15,251, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈviːs].

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 45092, this pair ranks #1,364,762 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verfiel vs verwies

Shared letters: eirv. Private to "verfiel": fl. Private to "verwies": sw.

"verfiel" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "verwies" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verfielevrfiel · vefriel · verfeil · verffiel · verfiell · verfile · verifel · verrfiel
  • verwiesevrwies · veriwes · verrwies · verwiess · verwise · verwwies · vewries · vrewies

Frequency comparison

verfiel#29,841
verwies#15,251

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verfiel" and "verwies" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈfiːl] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈviːs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verfiel" or "verwies"?
"verwies" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,251 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 verwies

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