betrügenvsBetrugsTell them apart

Quick tell: betrügen is a verb, Betrugs is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“betrügen” is a verb and “Betrugs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,830
“betrügen” frequency rank
#33,474
“Betrugs” frequency rank
51304
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature betrügen Betrugs
Definition jemandem absichtlich und böswillig die Unwahrheit sagen Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Betrug

Where the eye mixes betrügen and Betrugs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. betrügen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against Betrugs's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
betrügen
7 ch
Betrugs

Look-alike desk: betrügen vs Betrugs

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: betrügen is [bəˈtʁyːɡn̩] while Betrugs is [bəˈtʁuːks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51304, 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]. Betrugs is at rank #33,474, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtʁuːks].

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 51304, this pair ranks #1,140,582 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of betrügen vs Betrugs

Shared letters: begrt. Private to "betrügen": . Private to "Betrugs": su.

"betrügen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "Betrugs" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Betrugsbbetrugs · bertugs · betrgus · betrrugs · betruggs · betrugss · betrusg · bettrugs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "betrügen" for "Betrugs" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "betrügen" is a verb and "Betrugs" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary German text, does "betrügen" or "Betrugs" show up more?
"betrügen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,830 in our German list, against #33,474 for "Betrugs". 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 "betrügen" and "Betrugs" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "betrügen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Betrugs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,140,582 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "betrügen" and "Betrugs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Betrages vs Betrugs". 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 #1,140,582 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