Which to use
“vernichten” is a verb and “vernichtete” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,478
- “vernichten” frequency rank
- #42,917
- “vernichtete” frequency rank
- 51395
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vernichten | vernichtete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zerstören, (bewusst und unmittelbar gewaltsam) nichtigmachen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs vernichtet |
Where the eye mixes vernichten and vernichtete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. vernichten runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCCVC) against vernichtete's 11 (CVCCVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vernichten with vernichtete
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vernichten is [fɛɐ̯ˈnɪçtn̩] while vernichtete is [fɛɐ̯ˈnɪçtətə]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51395, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vernichten is recorded at frequency rank #8,478, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnɪçtn̩]. vernichtete is at rank #42,917, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈnɪçtətə].
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 51395, this pair ranks #1,137,146 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vernichten vs vernichtete
Shared letters: cehinrtv. Private to "vernichten": -. Private to "vernichtete": -.
"vernichten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC · "vernichtete" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- vernichten ← evrnichten · venrichten · verinchten · verncihten · vernicchten · vernichetn · vernichhten · vernichtenn
- vernichtete ← evrnichtete · venrichtete · verinchtete · verncihtete · vernicchtete · vernichette · vernichhtete · vernichteet
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vernichten" and "vernichtete" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "vernichten" or "vernichtete"?
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 "vernichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vernichtete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,137,146 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vernichten" and "vernichtete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vernichtend vs vernichtete". 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 #1,137,146 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.