Which to use
“bereits” is an adverb and “breit” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #196
- “bereits” frequency rank
- #2,332
- “breit” frequency rank
- 2528
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bereits | breit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen relativ frühen Zeitpunkt betreffend, früher als erwartet | horizontal seitlich ausgedehnt (in Links-Rechts-Richtung) |
Where the eye mixes bereits and breit
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses bereits with breit
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bereits is [bəˈʁaɪ̯t͡s] while breit is [bʁaɪ̯t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2528, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bereits is recorded at frequency rank #196, classified as anadv, pronounced [bəˈʁaɪ̯t͡s]. breit is at rank #2,332, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bʁaɪ̯t].
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 2528, this pair ranks #2,002,139 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bereits vs breit
Shared letters: beirt. Private to "bereits": s. Private to "breit": -.
"bereits" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC · "breit" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bereits" and "breit" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "bereits" or "breit" show up more?
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 "bereits" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "breit" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,002,139 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bereits" and "breit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "breit vs Brenz". 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 #2,002,139 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.