BetrugvsBetrügerConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,946
“Betrug” frequency rank
#10,054
“Betrüger” frequency rank
13000
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Betrug Betrüger
Definition vorsätzliche Täuschung und Irreführung einer anderen Person; Täuschungshandlung Person, die andere täuscht, um sich einen Vorteil zu verschaffen; jemand, der betrügt

Where the eye mixes Betrug and Betrüger

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Betrug runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Betrüger's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Betrug
8 ch
Betrüger

Why the eye confuses Betrug with Betrüger

A purely visual mix-up. Betrug ([bəˈtʁuːk]) and Betrüger ([bəˈtʁyːɡɐ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13000, 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]. Betrüger is at rank #10,054, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtʁyːɡɐ].

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 13000, this pair ranks #1,960,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Betrug vs Betrüger

Shared letters: begrt. Private to "Betrug": u. Private to "Betrüger": ü.

"Betrug" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Betrüger" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Betrug ← bbetrug · bertug · betrgu · betrrug · betrugg · bettrug · beturg · bterug

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Betrug" for "Betrüger" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈtʁuːk] versus [bəˈtʁyːɡɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Betrug" or "Betrüger" show up more?
"Betrug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,946 in our German list, against #10,054 for "Betrüger". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Betrug" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Betrüger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,960,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Betrug" and "Betrüger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Betrages vs Betrüger". 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 #1,960,744 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