BetriebenvsBetriebsTell them apart

Which to use

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

#2,385
“Betrieben” frequency rank
#12,679
“Betriebs” frequency rank
15064
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Betrieben Betriebs
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Betrieb Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Betrieb

Where the eye mixes Betrieben and Betriebs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

9 ch
Betrieben
8 ch
Betriebs

Look-alike desk: Betrieben vs Betriebs

A purely visual mix-up. Betrieben ([bəˈtʁiːbn̩]) and Betriebs ([bəˈtʁiːps]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15064, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Betrieben is recorded at frequency rank #2,385, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtʁiːbn̩]. Betriebs is at rank #12,679, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtʁiːps].

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 15064, this pair ranks #1,946,663 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Betrieben vs Betriebs

Shared letters: beirt. Private to "Betrieben": n. Private to "Betriebs": s.

"Betrieben" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC  ·  "Betriebs" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Betriebenbbetrieben · bertieben · betireben · betribeen · betriebben · betriebenn · betriebne · betrieebn
  • Betriebsbbetriebs · bertiebs · betirebs · betreibs · betribes · betriebbs · betriebss · betriesb

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Betrieben" for "Betriebs" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈtʁiːbn̩] versus [bəˈtʁiːps]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Betrieben" or "Betriebs" show up more?
"Betrieben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,385 in our German list, against #12,679 for "Betriebs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Betrieben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Betriebs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,946,663 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Betrieben" and "Betriebs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Betriebes vs Betriebs". 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 #1,946,663 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