Which to use
“vertreiben” is a verb and “Vertreibung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,806
- “vertreiben” frequency rank
- #14,980
- “Vertreibung” frequency rank
- 23786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vertreiben | Vertreibung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden oder etwas dazu zwingen, einen Ort zu verlassen | Maßnahme, um jemanden oder etwas zu zwingen, einen Ort zu verlassen |
Where the eye mixes vertreiben and Vertreibung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. vertreiben runs 10 letters (CVCCCVVCVC) against Vertreibung's 11 (CVCCCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vertreiben with Vertreibung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vertreiben is [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaɪ̯bn̩] while Vertreibung is [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vertreiben is recorded at frequency rank #8,806, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaɪ̯bn̩]. Vertreibung is at rank #14,980, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaɪ̯bʊŋ].
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 23786, this pair ranks #1,856,615 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vertreiben vs Vertreibung
Shared letters: beinrtv. Private to "vertreiben": -. Private to "Vertreibung": gu.
"vertreiben" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVC · "Vertreibung" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vertreiben ← evrtreiben · verrteiben · verrtreiben · verteriben · vertrebien · vertreibben · vertreibenn · vertreibne
- Vertreibung ← evrtreibung · verrteibung · verrtreibung · verteribung · vertrebiung · vertreibbung · vertreibnug · vertreibugn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vertreiben" for "Vertreibung" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vertreiben" or "Vertreibung"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "vertreiben" and "Vertreibung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "vertreiben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Vertreibung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,856,615 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vertreiben" and "Vertreibung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verreisen vs vertreiben". 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 #1,856,615 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.