vertreibenvsVertreibungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vertreiben is a verb, Vertreibung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vertreiben and Vertreibung apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
vertreiben
11 ch
Vertreibung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • vertreibenevrtreiben · verrteiben · verrtreiben · verteriben · vertrebien · vertreibben · vertreibenn · vertreibne
  • Vertreibungevrtreibung · verrteibung · verrtreibung · verteribung · vertrebiung · vertreibbung · vertreibnug · vertreibugn

Frequency comparison

vertreiben#8,806
Vertreibung#14,980

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vertreiben" and "Vertreibung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vertreiben" is a verb and "Vertreibung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vertreiben" or "Vertreibung"?
"vertreiben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,806 in our German list, against #14,980 for "Vertreibung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vertreiben vs Vertreibung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “vertreiben”; for a noun, it's “Vertreibung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vertreiben” 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