Which to use
“verhindern” and “vermindert” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,494
- “verhindern” frequency rank
- #21,824
- “vermindert” frequency rank
- 23318
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verhindern | vermindert |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bewirken, dass etwas nicht geschieht oder dass jemand etwas nicht tun kann | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs vermindern |
Where the eye mixes verhindern and vermindert
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verhindern and vermindert follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: verhindern vs vermindert
A purely visual mix-up. verhindern ([fɛɐ̯ˈhɪndɐn]) and vermindert ([fɛɐ̯ˈmɪndɐt]) 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 23318, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verhindern is recorded at frequency rank #1,494, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhɪndɐn]. vermindert is at rank #21,824, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmɪndɐt].
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 23318, this pair ranks #1,862,827 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verhindern vs vermindert
Shared letters: deinrv. Private to "verhindern": h. Private to "vermindert": mt.
"verhindern" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC · "vermindert" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verhindern ← evrhindern · vehrindern · verhhindern · verhidnern · verhinddern · verhindenr · verhindernn · verhinderrn
- vermindert ← evrmindert · vemrindert · verimndert · vermidnert · verminddert · verminderrt · vermindertt · vermindetr
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verhindern" and "vermindert" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "verhindern" or "vermindert"?
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 "verhindern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vermindert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,862,827 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verhindern" and "vermindert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vermindert vs verminderte". 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 #1,862,827 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.