Which to use
“betroffen” and “betroffenen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,584
- “betroffen” frequency rank
- #2,288
- “betroffenen” frequency rank
- 4872
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | betroffen | betroffenen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unangenehm überrascht, (emotional) leidtragend, bestürzt | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs betroffen |
Where the eye mixes betroffen and betroffenen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. betroffen runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against betroffenen's 11 (CVCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses betroffen with betroffenen
A purely visual mix-up. betroffen ([bəˈtʁɔfn̩]) and betroffenen ([bəˈtʁɔfənən]) 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) - “betroffen” sits inside “betroffenen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
betroffen is recorded at frequency rank #2,584, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈtʁɔfn̩]. betroffenen is at rank #2,288, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈtʁɔfənən].
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 4872, this pair ranks #1,996,424 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of betroffen vs betroffenen
Shared letters: befnort. Private to "betroffen": -. Private to "betroffenen": -.
"betroffen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "betroffenen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- betroffen ← bbetroffen · bertoffen · betorffen · betrfofen · betrofefn · betrofen · betroffenn · betroffne
- betroffenen ← bbetroffenen · bertoffenen · betorffenen · betrfofenen · betrofefnen · betrofenen · betroffeenn · betroffenenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "betroffen" for "betroffenen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "betroffen" or "betroffenen"?
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 "betroffen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "betroffenen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,424 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "betroffen" and "betroffenen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "betrafen vs betroffen". 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 #1,996,424 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.