Which to use
“berühren” is a verb and “Berührung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,512
- “berühren” frequency rank
- #9,513
- “Berührung” frequency rank
- 16025
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | berühren | Berührung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit dem Äußeren seines Körpers mit einer Sache oder einer Person in Kontakt kommen | Ereignis, wenn mehrere Dinge aneinandergeraten (auch abstrakt) |
Where the eye mixes berühren and Berührung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. berühren runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against Berührung's 9 (CVCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses berühren with Berührung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: berühren is [bəˈʁyːʁən] while Berührung is [bəˈʁyːʁʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16025, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
berühren is recorded at frequency rank #6,512, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʁyːʁən]. Berührung is at rank #9,513, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈʁyːʁʊŋ].
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 16025, this pair ranks #1,939,248 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of berühren vs Berührung
Shared letters: behnrü. Private to "berühren": -. Private to "Berührung": gu.
"berühren" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "Berührung" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "berühren" for "Berührung" ever safe?
Which is more common, "berühren" or "Berührung"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "berühren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Berührung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,939,248 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "berühren" and "Berührung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bekehrung vs Berührung". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,939,248 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.