verliefenvsverlierenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,949
“verliefen” frequency rank
#1,375
“verlieren” frequency rank
24324
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verliefen verlieren
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verlaufen etwas irgendwo hinlegen und es später nicht mehr wiederfinden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verliefen and verlieren apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
verliefen
9 ch
verlieren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verliefen ([fɛɐ̯ˈliːfn̩]) and verlieren ([fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]) 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 a single letter - f in “verliefen” becomes r in “verlieren”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24324, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verliefen is recorded at frequency rank #22,949, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈliːfn̩]. verlieren is at rank #1,375, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən].

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 24324, this pair ranks #1,849,220 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verliefen vs verlieren

Shared letters: eilnrv. Private to "verliefen": f. Private to "verlieren": -.

"verliefen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC  ·  "verlieren" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verliefenevrliefen · velriefen · verilefen · verleifen · verlieefn · verliefenn · verlieffen · verliefne
  • verlierenevrlieren · velrieren · verileren · verleiren · verlieern · verlierenn · verlierne · verlierren

Frequency comparison

verliefen#22,949
verlieren#1,375

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verliefen" and "verlieren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈliːfn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verliefen" or "verlieren"?
"verlieren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,375 in our German list, against #22,949 for "verliefen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering verliefen vs verlieren

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 “verliefen” 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