Which to use
“betrügen” is a verb and “Betrüger” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,830
- “betrügen” frequency rank
- #10,054
- “Betrüger” frequency rank
- 27884
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | betrügen | Betrüger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem absichtlich und böswillig die Unwahrheit sagen | Person, die andere täuscht, um sich einen Vorteil zu verschaffen; jemand, der betrügt |
Where the eye mixes betrügen and Betrüger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. betrügen and Betrüger follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses betrügen with Betrüger
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: betrügen is [bəˈtʁyːɡn̩] while Betrüger is [bəˈtʁyːɡɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “betrügen” becomes r in “Betrüger”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27884, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
betrügen is recorded at frequency rank #17,830, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈtʁyːɡn̩]. 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 27884, this pair ranks #1,794,242 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of betrügen vs Betrüger
Shared letters: begrtü. Private to "betrügen": n. Private to "Betrüger": -.
"betrügen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "Betrüger" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "betrügen" and "Betrüger" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "betrügen" or "Betrüger"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "betrügen" 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 #1,794,242 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "betrügen" and "Betrüger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "betäuben vs betrügen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,794,242 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.