Which to use
“betrügen” and “beugen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,830
- “betrügen” frequency rank
- #14,523
- “beugen” frequency rank
- 32353
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | betrügen | beugen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem absichtlich und böswillig die Unwahrheit sagen | biegen, krümmen |
Where the eye mixes betrügen and beugen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. betrügen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against beugen's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses betrügen with beugen
A purely visual mix-up. betrügen ([bəˈtʁyːɡn̩]) and beugen ([ˈbɔɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 32353, 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]. beugen is at rank #14,523, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbɔɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 32353, this pair ranks #1,709,453 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of betrügen vs beugen
Shared letters: begn. Private to "betrügen": rtü. Private to "beugen": u.
"betrügen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "beugen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- beugen ← bbeugen · beguen · beuegn · beugenn · beuggen · beugne · buegen · ebugen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "betrügen" and "beugen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "betrügen" or "beugen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "betrügen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "beugen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,709,453 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "betrügen" and "beugen" 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 #1,709,453 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.