VermeidungvsVermessungWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#11,774
“Vermeidung” frequency rank
#28,452
“Vermessung” frequency rank
40226
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vermeidung Vermessung
Definition das vorsätzliche Vermeiden von etwas das Abmessen von etwas

Where the eye mixes Vermeidung and Vermessung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Vermeidung (CVCCVVCVCC) and Vermessung (CVCCVCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

10 ch
Vermeidung
10 ch
Vermessung

Visual trap between Vermeidung and Vermessung

A purely visual mix-up. Vermeidung ([fɛɐ̯ˈmaɪ̯dʊŋ]) and Vermessung ([fɛɐ̯ˈmɛsʊŋ]) 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 40226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vermeidung is recorded at frequency rank #11,774, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmaɪ̯dʊŋ]. Vermessung is at rank #28,452, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmɛsʊŋ].

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 40226, this pair ranks #1,514,563 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Vermeidung vs Vermessung

Shared letters: egmnruv. Private to "Vermeidung": di. Private to "Vermessung": s.

"Vermeidung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCC  ·  "Vermessung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vermeidung ← evrmeidung · vemreidung · veremidung · vermediung · vermeiddung · vermeidnug · vermeidugn · vermeidungg
  • Vermessung ← evrmessung · vemressung · veremssung · vermessnug · vermessugn · vermessungg · vermessunng · vermesung

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vermeidung" and "Vermessung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈmaɪ̯dʊŋ] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈmɛsʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Vermeidung" or "Vermessung" show up more?
"Vermeidung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,774 in our German list, against #28,452 for "Vermessung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Vermeidung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Vermessung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,514,563 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vermeidung" and "Vermessung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vermehrung vs Vermessung". 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 #1,514,563 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