Which to use
“Betrug” is a noun and “betrügen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,946
- “Betrug” frequency rank
- #17,830
- “betrügen” frequency rank
- 20776
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Betrug | betrügen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vorsätzliche Täuschung und Irreführung einer anderen Person; Täuschungshandlung | jemandem absichtlich und böswillig die Unwahrheit sagen |
Where the eye mixes Betrug and betrügen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Betrug runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against betrügen's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Betrug vs betrügen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Betrug is [bəˈtʁuːk] while betrügen is [bəˈtʁyːɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20776, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Betrug is recorded at frequency rank #2,946, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtʁuːk]. betrügen is at rank #17,830, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈtʁyːɡn̩].
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 20776, this pair ranks #1,893,897 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Betrug vs betrügen
Shared letters: begrt. Private to "Betrug": u. Private to "betrügen": nü.
"Betrug" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "betrügen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Betrug ← bbetrug · bertug · betrgu · betrrug · betrugg · bettrug · beturg · bterug
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Betrug" and "betrügen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Betrug" or "betrügen"?
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 "Betrug" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "betrügen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,893,897 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Betrug" and "betrügen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "betäuben vs betrügen". 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 #1,893,897 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.