vermessenvsvermisseWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#19,068
“vermessen” frequency rank
#6,019
“vermisse” frequency rank
25087
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vermessen vermisse
Definition übermäßig ehrgeizig und deshalb riskant 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs vermissen

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
vermessen
8 ch
vermisse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

vermessen and vermisse form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25087, 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]. vermisse is at rank #6,019, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmɪsə].

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 25087, this pair ranks #1,838,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

vermessen#19,068
vermisse#6,019

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vermessen" and "vermisse" be used interchangeably?
No, "vermessen" and "vermisse" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering vermessen vs vermisse

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 “vermisse”.
  • 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