verhörtvsverlorWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,174
“verhört” frequency rank
#2,749
“verlor” frequency rank
26923
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verhört verlor
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verhören 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verlieren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verhört and verlor apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
verhört
6 ch
verlor

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verhört ([fɛɐ̯ˈhøːɐ̯t]) and verlor ([fɛɐ̯ˈloːɐ̯]) 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 26923, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verhört is recorded at frequency rank #24,174, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈhøːɐ̯t]. verlor is at rank #2,749, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈloːɐ̯].

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 26923, this pair ranks #1,810,184 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verhört vs verlor

Shared letters: erv. Private to "verhört": htö. Private to "verlor": lo.

"verhört" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "verlor" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verlorevrlor · velror · verllor · verlorr · verlro · verolr · verrlor · vrelor

Frequency comparison

verhört#24,174
verlor#2,749

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verhört" and "verlor" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈhøːɐ̯t] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈloːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verhört" or "verlor"?
"verlor" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,749 in our German list, against #24,174 for "verhört". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verhört vs verlor

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 “verhört” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list