vergissvsvermisseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,544
“vergiss” frequency rank
#6,019
“vermisse” frequency rank
13563
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vergiss vermisse
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs vergessen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs vermissen

Where the eye mixes vergiss and vermisse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. vergiss runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against vermisse's 8 (CVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
vergiss
8 ch
vermisse

Look-alike desk: vergiss vs vermisse

A purely visual mix-up. vergiss ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪs]) and vermisse ([fɛɐ̯ˈmɪsə]) 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 13563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vergiss is recorded at frequency rank #7,544, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪs]. vermisse is at rank #6,019, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmɪsə].

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 13563, this pair ranks #1,957,186 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vergiss vs vermisse

Shared letters: eirsv. Private to "vergiss": g. Private to "vermisse": m.

"vergiss" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "vermisse" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vergiss ← evrgiss · vegriss · verggiss · vergis · vergiß · vergsis · verigss · verrgiss
  • vermisse ← evrmisse · vemrisse · verimsse · vermise · vermises · vermiße · vermmisse · vermsise

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "vergiss" for "vermisse" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈɡɪs] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈmɪsə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "vergiss" vs "vermisse" - which ranks higher?
"vermisse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,019 in our German list, against #7,544 for "vergiss". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "vergiss" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vermisse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,957,186 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "vergiss" and "vermisse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vergiss vs verpass". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,957,186 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list