Which to use
“vid” is an adjective and “von” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,925
- “vid” frequency rank
- #11
- “von” frequency rank
- 42936
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vid | von |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | weit | Ursprung räumlicher oder zeitlicher Veränderung, Herkunft, Gegenstand der Betrachtung, Ursache, sonstige Verhältnisse |
Where the eye mixes vid and von
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between vid and von
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vid is [ˈviːd] while von is [fɔn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42936, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vid is recorded at frequency rank #42,925, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈviːd]. von is at rank #11, tagged as aprep, pronounced [fɔn].
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 42936, this pair ranks #1,433,724 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vid vs von
Shared letters: v. Private to "vid": di. Private to "von": no.
"vid" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "von" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vid" for "von" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vid" or "von"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "vid" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "von" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,433,724 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vid" and "von" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vid vs voip". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,433,724 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.