Which to use
“verlesen” and “vermiesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,753
- “verlesen” frequency rank
- #42,231
- “vermiesen” frequency rank
- 61984
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verlesen | vermiesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Fehler beim Lesen machen; etwas falsch lesen; ein oder mehrere Worte beim Lesen verwechseln | etwas Schönes (das jemand anderes erlebt, wie Freude, Spass oder gute Stimmung) stören/verderben |
Where the eye mixes verlesen and vermiesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. verlesen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against vermiesen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verlesen with vermiesen
A purely visual mix-up. verlesen ([fɛɐ̯ˈleːzn̩]) and vermiesen ([fɛɐ̯ˈmiːzn̩]) 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 61984, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verlesen is recorded at frequency rank #19,753, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈleːzn̩]. vermiesen is at rank #42,231, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmiːzn̩].
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 61984, this pair ranks #729,551 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verlesen vs vermiesen
Shared letters: enrsv. Private to "verlesen": l. Private to "vermiesen": im.
"verlesen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "vermiesen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verlesen" and "vermiesen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "verlesen" or "vermiesen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "verlesen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vermiesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #729,551 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verlesen" and "vermiesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verbissen vs vermiesen". 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 #729,551 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.