BetriebvsBetriebesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,281
“Betrieb” frequency rank
#20,864
“Betriebes” frequency rank
22145
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Betrieb Betriebes
Definition produktive Tätigkeit, Geschäftigkeit Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Betrieb

Where the eye mixes Betrieb and Betriebes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Betrieb runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against Betriebes's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Betrieb
9 ch
Betriebes

Why the eye confuses Betrieb with Betriebes

A purely visual mix-up. Betrieb ([bəˈtʁiːp]) and Betriebes ([bəˈtʁiːbəs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Betrieb” sits inside “Betriebes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22145, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Betrieb is recorded at frequency rank #1,281, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtʁiːp]. Betriebes is at rank #20,864, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtʁiːbəs].

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 22145, this pair ranks #1,877,762 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Betrieb vs Betriebes

Shared letters: beirt. Private to "Betrieb": -. Private to "Betriebes": s.

"Betrieb" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "Betriebes" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Betriebbbetrieb · bertieb · betireb · betreib · betribe · betriebb · betrrieb · bettrieb
  • Betriebesbbetriebes · bertiebes · betirebes · betreibes · betribees · betriebbes · betriebess · betriebse

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Betrieb" for "Betriebes" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈtʁiːp] versus [bəˈtʁiːbəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Betrieb" or "Betriebes"?
"Betrieb" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,281 in our German list, against #20,864 for "Betriebes". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Betrieb" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Betriebes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,877,762 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Betrieb" and "Betriebes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "beriet vs Betrieb". 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 #1,877,762 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