Which to use
“betäuben” is a verb and “betäubt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,525
- “betäuben” frequency rank
- #25,922
- “betäubt” frequency rank
- 72447
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | betäuben | betäubt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (für bestimmte Zeit) gegen Empfindungen, insbesondere Schmerz, teilweise oder vollständig unempfindlich machen; taub machen | (mittels eines Betäubungsmittels oder Ähnliches) gegen Schmerzen unempfindlich gemacht oder in einen künstlichen Schlaf versetzt |
Where the eye mixes betäuben and betäubt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. betäuben runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against betäubt's 7 (CVCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between betäuben and betäubt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: betäuben is [bəˈtɔɪ̯bn̩] while betäubt is [bəˈtɔɪ̯pt]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72447, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
betäuben is recorded at frequency rank #46,525, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈtɔɪ̯bn̩]. betäubt is at rank #25,922, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈtɔɪ̯pt].
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 72447, this pair ranks #388,099 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of betäuben vs betäubt
Shared letters: betuä. Private to "betäuben": n. Private to "betäubt": -.
"betäuben" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "betäubt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "betäuben" for "betäubt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "betäuben" or "betäubt" 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 "betäuben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "betäubt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #388,099 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "betäuben" and "betäubt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "besaufen vs betäuben". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #388,099 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.