Varieeren

Varieeren is a Dutch verb that means to vary, to change in degree, form, or range. In standard Dutch the correct infinitive and spelling is variëren, which uses a diaeresis over the i to indicate the two-syllable pronunciation. The form “varieeren” is generally considered a misspelling or typographical error and is not used in formal writing. The verb belongs to the regular -eren class and is common in everyday and formal language.

Etymology and use in language. Variëren comes from Latin variāre, via French varier, and entered Dutch in the early modern period. The sense involves introducing or describing differences, fluctuations, or a range of values or forms. It is used across domains from everyday speech to technical contexts, including statistics, design, and climatology, whenever a thing is not fixed but can take multiple values or forms.

Conjugation and forms. The verb is conjugated regularly in the present and past tenses. Examples: ik varieer, jij varieert, hij/zij varieert, wij variëren, jullie variëren, zij variëren. Past tense: ik varieerde, jij varieerde, hij/zij varieerde; wij varieerden. The past participle is gevarieerd, used with hebben as in ik heb gevarieerd. Related derivatives include variatie (variation) and variabel (variable).

Usage considerations. Varieeren is used to describe differences within a set, ranges, or changes over time. It contrasts with fixed or constant values and often appears in contexts such as pricing, measurements, results across subjects, or parameter settings. In statistics, related terms such as variatie of een dataset or variantie/variantie denote variation or variance.

See also: variatie, variërend, variabele, variantie (variance in statistics).