beitrugvsbetrügtConfusable pair

Which to use

“beitrug” and “betrügt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#40,424
“beitrug” frequency rank
#26,780
“betrügt” frequency rank
67204
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature beitrug betrügt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv der Nebensatzkonjugation des Verbs beitragen 2. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs betragen

Where the eye mixes beitrug and betrügt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. beitrug (CVVCCVC) and betrügt (CVCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

7 ch
beitrug
7 ch
betrügt

Why the eye confuses beitrug with betrügt

A purely visual mix-up. beitrug ([ˈbaɪ̯ˌtʁuːk]) and betrügt ([bəˈtʁyːkt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 5 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67204, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

beitrug is recorded at frequency rank #40,424, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbaɪ̯ˌtʁuːk]. betrügt is at rank #26,780, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈtʁyːkt].

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 67204, this pair ranks #547,845 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of beitrug vs betrügt

Shared letters: begrt. Private to "beitrug": iu. Private to "betrügt": ü.

"beitrug" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "betrügt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • beitrugbbeitrug · beirtug · beitrgu · beitrrug · beitrugg · beittrug · beiturg · betirug

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "beitrug" for "betrügt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbaɪ̯ˌtʁuːk] versus [bəˈtʁyːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "beitrug" or "betrügt" show up more?
"betrügt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,780 in our German list, against #40,424 for "beitrug". 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 "beitrug" and "betrügt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "beitrug" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "betrügt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #547,845 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "beitrug" and "betrügt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "beitrug vs Betrugs". 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 #547,845 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