vermessenvsvermiesenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vermessen is a adjective, vermiesen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vermessen” is an adjective and “vermiesen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,068
“vermessen” frequency rank
#42,231
“vermiesen” frequency rank
61299
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vermessen vermiesen
Definition übermäßig ehrgeizig und deshalb riskant 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 vermessen and vermiesen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
vermessen
9 ch
vermiesen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vermessen is [fɛɐ̯ˈmɛsn̩] while vermiesen is [fɛɐ̯ˈmiːzn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61299, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vermessen is recorded at frequency rank #19,068, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmɛsn̩]. 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 61299, this pair ranks #754,971 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vermessen vs vermiesen

Shared letters: emnrsv. Private to "vermessen": -. Private to "vermiesen": i.

"vermessen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "vermiesen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vermessenevrmessen · vemressen · veremssen · vermesen · vermesesn · vermessenn · vermessne · vermeßen
  • vermiesenevrmiesen · vemriesen · verimesen · vermeisen · vermieesn · vermiesenn · vermiesne · vermiessen

Frequency comparison

vermessen#19,068
vermiesen#42,231

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vermessen" and "vermiesen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vermessen" is an adjective and "vermiesen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vermessen" or "vermiesen"?
"vermessen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,068 in our German list, against #42,231 for "vermiesen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vermessen vs vermiesen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “vermessen”; for a verb, it's “vermiesen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vermessen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list