arbeitevsArbeiterConfusable pair

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

Which to use

“arbeite” is a verb and “Arbeiter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,943
“arbeite” frequency rank
#2,701
“Arbeiter” frequency rank
5644
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature arbeite Arbeiter
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs arbeiten jemand, der zum Lohnerwerb standesgemäß einer (meist körperlichen) Tätigkeit nachgeht, zur Arbeiterklasse zählt

Where the eye mixes arbeite and Arbeiter

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
arbeite
8 ch
Arbeiter

Look-alike desk: arbeite vs Arbeiter

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: arbeite is [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tə] while Arbeiter is [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “arbeite” sits inside “Arbeiter”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5644, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

arbeite is recorded at frequency rank #2,943, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tə]. Arbeiter is at rank #2,701, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaʁbaɪ̯tɐ].

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 5644, this pair ranks #1,994,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of arbeite vs Arbeiter

Shared letters: abeirt. Private to "arbeite": -. Private to "Arbeiter": -.

"arbeite" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV  ·  "Arbeiter" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • arbeiteabreite · arbbeite · arbeiet · arbetie · arbiete · arebite · arrbeite · rabeite
  • Arbeiterabreiter · arbbeiter · arbeietr · arbeiterr · arbeitre · arbeitter · arbetier · arbieter

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "arbeite" for "Arbeiter" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "arbeite" is a verb and "Arbeiter" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "arbeite" or "Arbeiter"?
"Arbeiter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,701 in our German list, against #2,943 for "arbeite". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "arbeite" and "Arbeiter" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "arbeite" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Arbeiter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,994,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "arbeite" and "Arbeiter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "arbeite vs Arbeiters". 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 #1,994,153 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list