Which to use
“betäuben” is a verb and “Betäubung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,525
- “betäuben” frequency rank
- #28,103
- “Betäubung” frequency rank
- 74628
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | betäuben | Betäubung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (für bestimmte Zeit) gegen Empfindungen, insbesondere Schmerz, teilweise oder vollständig unempfindlich machen; taub machen | Handlung, jemanden schmerzunempfindlich zu machen |
Where the eye mixes betäuben and Betäubung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. betäuben runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against Betäubung's 9 (CVCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between betäuben and Betäubung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: betäuben is [bəˈtɔɪ̯bn̩] while Betäubung is [bəˈtɔɪ̯bʊŋ]. 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 74628, 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]. Betäubung is at rank #28,103, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtɔɪ̯bʊŋ].
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 74628, this pair ranks #328,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of betäuben vs Betäubung
Shared letters: bentuä. Private to "betäuben": -. Private to "Betäubung": g.
"betäuben" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "Betäubung" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "betäuben" and "Betäubung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "betäuben" or "Betäubung"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "betäuben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Betäubung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #328,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "betäuben" and "Betäubung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "besaufen vs betäuben". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #328,492 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.