verstellenvsverteilenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,817
“verstellen” frequency rank
#4,573
“verteilen” frequency rank
30390
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verstellen verteilen
Definition durch andere Objekte unzugänglich machen bzw. verstecken mehreren Personen einen Teil von etwas geben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verstellen and verteilen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
verstellen
9 ch
verteilen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verstellen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛlən]) and verteilen ([fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən]) 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 30390, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verstellen is recorded at frequency rank #25,817, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛlən]. verteilen is at rank #4,573, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən].

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 30390, this pair ranks #1,748,836 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verstellen vs verteilen

Shared letters: elnrtv. Private to "verstellen": s. Private to "verteilen": i.

"verstellen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "verteilen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verstellenevrstellen · verrstellen · versetllen · versstellen · versteleln · verstelen · verstellenn · verstellne
  • verteilenevrteilen · veretilen · verrteilen · verteieln · verteilenn · verteillen · verteilne · vertelien

Frequency comparison

verstellen#25,817
verteilen#4,573

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verstellen" and "verteilen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛlən] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verstellen" or "verteilen"?
"verteilen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,573 in our German list, against #25,817 for "verstellen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verstellen vs verteilen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verstellen” 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