betäubtvsbetrübtTell them apart

Which to use

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

#25,922
“betäubt” frequency rank
#32,953
“betrübt” frequency rank
58875
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature betäubt betrübt
Definition (mittels eines Betäubungsmittels oder Ähnliches) gegen Schmerzen unempfindlich gemacht oder in einen künstlichen Schlaf versetzt niedergeschlagen, traurig

Where the eye mixes betäubt and betrübt

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

7 ch
betäubt
7 ch
betrübt

Visual trap between betäubt and betrübt

A purely visual mix-up. betäubt ([bəˈtɔɪ̯pt]) and betrübt ([bəˈtʁyːpt]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58875, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

betäubt is recorded at frequency rank #25,922, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈtɔɪ̯pt]. betrübt is at rank #32,953, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈtʁyːpt].

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 58875, this pair ranks #845,972 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of betäubt vs betrübt

Shared letters: bet. Private to "betäubt": . Private to "betrübt": .

"betäubt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC  ·  "betrübt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "betäubt" for "betrübt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈtɔɪ̯pt] versus [bəˈtʁyːpt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "betäubt" or "betrübt"?
"betäubt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,922 in our German list, against #32,953 for "betrübt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "betäubt" and "betrübt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "betäubt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "betrübt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #845,972 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "betäubt" and "betrübt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "betäuben vs betäubt". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #845,972 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