Which to use
“Bitte” and “Butter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #183
- “Bitte” frequency rank
- #4,967
- “Butter” frequency rank
- 5150
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Bitte | Butter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | höfliche Ausdrucksform eines Wunsches, einer Aufforderung, eines Ersuchens | aus Milch (vor allem Kuhmilch) gewonnenes weißes bis gelbliches, streichfähiges Speisefett bestehend aus mindestens 80 % Milchfett und höchstens 16 % Wasser, dem weitere Inhaltsstoffe (zum Beispiel: Kochsalz, amtlich zugelassene [pflanzliche] Farbstoffe) zugesetzt sein können, und das besonders als Brotaufstrich verwendet wird |
Where the eye mixes Bitte and Butter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Bitte and Butter
A purely visual mix-up. Bitte ([ˈbɪtə]) and Butter ([ˈbʊtɐ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Bitte is recorded at frequency rank #183, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɪtə]. Butter is at rank #4,967, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbʊtɐ].
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 5150, this pair ranks #1,995,650 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Bitte vs Butter
Shared letters: bet. Private to "Bitte": i. Private to "Butter": ru.
"Bitte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Butter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Bitte" and "Butter" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Bitte" or "Butter" show up more?
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 "Bitte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Butter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,995,650 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Bitte" and "Butter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "battery vs Butter". 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 #1,995,650 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.