verlierenvsvermiesenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,375
“verlieren” frequency rank
#42,231
“vermiesen” frequency rank
43606
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verlieren vermiesen
Definition etwas irgendwo hinlegen und es später nicht mehr wiederfinden etwas Schönes (das jemand anderes erlebt, wie Freude, Spass oder gute Stimmung) stören/verderben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verlieren and vermiesen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
verlieren
9 ch
vermiesen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verlieren ([fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verlieren is recorded at frequency rank #1,375, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]. 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 43606, this pair ranks #1,412,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verlieren vs vermiesen

Shared letters: einrv. Private to "verlieren": l. Private to "vermiesen": ms.

"verlieren" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC  ·  "vermiesen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verlierenevrlieren · velrieren · verileren · verleiren · verlieern · verlierenn · verlierne · verlierren
  • vermiesenevrmiesen · vemriesen · verimesen · vermeisen · vermieesn · vermiesenn · vermiesne · vermiessen

Frequency comparison

verlieren#1,375
vermiesen#42,231

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verlieren" and "vermiesen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈmiːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verlieren" or "vermiesen"?
"verlieren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,375 in our German list, against #42,231 for "vermiesen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering verlieren vs vermiesen

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 “verlieren” 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