verkleidenvsvermeidenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#22,948
“verkleiden” frequency rank
#2,369
“vermeiden” frequency rank
25317
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verkleiden vermeiden
Definition sich mit einem Kostüm versehen; kostümieren; formelle Kleidung anziehen etwas wenn möglich nicht tun; so handeln, dass etwas möglichst nicht passiert

Where the eye mixes verkleiden and vermeiden

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verkleiden runs 10 letters (CVCCCVVCVC) against vermeiden's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
verkleiden
9 ch
vermeiden

Look-alike desk: verkleiden vs vermeiden

A purely visual mix-up. verkleiden ([fɛɐ̯ˈklaɪ̯dn̩]) and vermeiden ([fɛɐ̯ˈmaɪ̯dn̩]) 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 25317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verkleiden is recorded at frequency rank #22,948, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈklaɪ̯dn̩]. vermeiden is at rank #2,369, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmaɪ̯dn̩].

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 25317, this pair ranks #1,835,091 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verkleiden vs vermeiden

Shared letters: deinrv. Private to "verkleiden": kl. Private to "vermeiden": m.

"verkleiden" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVC  ·  "vermeiden" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verkleidenevrkleiden · vekrleiden · verkeliden · verkkleiden · verkledien · verkleidden · verkleidenn · verkleidne
  • vermeidenevrmeiden · vemreiden · veremiden · vermedien · vermeidden · vermeidenn · vermeidne · vermeiedn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verkleiden" and "vermeiden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈklaɪ̯dn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈmaɪ̯dn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verkleiden" or "vermeiden"?
"vermeiden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,369 in our German list, against #22,948 for "verkleiden". 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 "verkleiden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "vermeiden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,835,091 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "verkleiden" and "vermeiden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verkleiden vs verkleidete". 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 #1,835,091 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