VermutungenvsVerwüstungenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#15,512
“Vermutungen” frequency rank
#49,357
“Verwüstungen” frequency rank
64869
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Vermutungen Verwüstungen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vermutung Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Verwüstung

Where the eye mixes Vermutungen and Verwüstungen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Vermutungen runs 11 letters (CVCCVCVCCVC) against Verwüstungen's 12 (CVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
Vermutungen
12 ch
Verwüstungen

Look-alike desk: Vermutungen vs Verwüstungen

A purely visual mix-up. Vermutungen ([fɛɐ̯ˈmuːtʊŋən]) and Verwüstungen ([fɛɐ̯ˈvyːstʊŋən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64869, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Vermutungen is recorded at frequency rank #15,512, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈmuːtʊŋən]. Verwüstungen is at rank #49,357, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈvyːstʊŋən].

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 64869, this pair ranks #626,416 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Vermutungen vs Verwüstungen

Shared letters: egnrtuv. Private to "Vermutungen": m. Private to "Verwüstungen": swü.

"Vermutungen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC  ·  "Verwüstungen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vermutungen ← evrmutungen · vemrutungen · vermmutungen · vermtuungen · vermutnugen · vermuttungen · vermutugnen · vermutunegn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Vermutungen" and "Verwüstungen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈmuːtʊŋən] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈvyːstʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Vermutungen" or "Verwüstungen"?
"Vermutungen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,512 in our German list, against #49,357 for "Verwüstungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Vermutungen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Verwüstungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #626,416 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Vermutungen" and "Verwüstungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vergütungen vs Verwüstungen". 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 #626,416 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