VermeidungvsVerzeihungTell them apart

Which to use

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

#11,774
“Vermeidung” frequency rank
#17,455
“Verzeihung” frequency rank
29229
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vermeidung Verzeihung
Definition das vorsätzliche Vermeiden von etwas das Vergeben eines Fehlverhaltens, die Annahme einer Entschuldigung

Where the eye mixes Vermeidung and Verzeihung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Vermeidung and Verzeihung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVVCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

10 ch
Vermeidung
10 ch
Verzeihung

Look-alike desk: Vermeidung vs Verzeihung

A purely visual mix-up. Vermeidung ([fɛɐ̯ˈmaɪ̯dʊŋ]) and Verzeihung ([fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ʊŋ]) 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 29229, 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]. Verzeihung is at rank #17,455, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ʊŋ].

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 29229, this pair ranks #1,770,709 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Vermeidung vs Verzeihung

Shared letters: eginruv. Private to "Vermeidung": dm. Private to "Verzeihung": hz.

"Vermeidung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCC  ·  "Verzeihung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vermeidung ← evrmeidung · vemreidung · veremidung · vermediung · vermeiddung · vermeidnug · vermeidugn · vermeidungg
  • Verzeihung ← evrzeihung · verezihung · verrzeihung · verzehiung · verzeihhung · verzeihnug · verzeihugn · verzeihungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Vermeidung" and "Verzeihung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈmaɪ̯dʊŋ] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈt͡saɪ̯ʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Vermeidung" or "Verzeihung"?
"Vermeidung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,774 in our German list, against #17,455 for "Verzeihung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Vermeidung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Verzeihung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,770,709 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vermeidung" and "Verzeihung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verzeihung vs Verzerrung". 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 #1,770,709 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