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 eye mixes vermessen and vermisse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. vermessen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against vermisse's 8 (CVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vermessen with vermisse
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vermessen is [fɛɐ̯ˈmɛsn̩] while vermisse is [fɛɐ̯ˈmɪsə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of vermessen vs vermisse
Shared letters: emrsv. Private to "vermessen": n. Private to "vermisse": i.
"vermessen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "vermisse" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vermessen" and "vermisse" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vermessen" or "vermisse"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "vermessen" and "vermisse" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "vermessen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vermisse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,838,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vermessen" and "vermisse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vermessen vs vermiesen". 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 #1,838,341 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.