Which to use
“betrügen” is a verb and “betrunken” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,830
- “betrügen” frequency rank
- #5,807
- “betrunken” frequency rank
- 23637
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | betrügen | betrunken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem absichtlich und böswillig die Unwahrheit sagen | von Alkohol berauscht |
Where the eye mixes betrügen and betrunken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. betrügen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against betrunken's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between betrügen and betrunken
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: betrügen is [bəˈtʁyːɡn̩] while betrunken is [bəˈtʁʊŋkn̩]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23637, 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]. betrunken is at rank #5,807, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈtʁʊŋkn̩].
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 23637, this pair ranks #1,858,636 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of betrügen vs betrunken
Shared letters: benrt. Private to "betrügen": gü. Private to "betrunken": ku.
"betrügen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "betrunken" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- betrunken ← bbetrunken · bertunken · betrnuken · betrrunken · betruknen · betrunekn · betrunkenn · betrunkken
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "betrügen" for "betrunken" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "betrügen" or "betrunken" show up more?
Useful next steps
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 "betrunken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,858,636 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "betrügen" and "betrunken" 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 #1,858,636 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.