Which to use
“blöde” and “böse” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,919
- “blöde” frequency rank
- #1,543
- “böse” frequency rank
- 7462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | blöde | böse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf sehr niedrigem geistigen Niveau | moralisch falsch, nicht gut; bösartig |
Where the eye mixes blöde and böse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses blöde with böse
A purely visual mix-up. blöde ([ˈbløːdə]) and böse ([ˈbøːzə]) 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 7462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
blöde is recorded at frequency rank #5,919, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbløːdə]. böse is at rank #1,543, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈbøːzə].
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 7462, this pair ranks #1,988,070 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of blöde vs böse
Shared letters: beö. Private to "blöde": dl. Private to "böse": s.
"blöde" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "böse" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "blöde" for "böse" ever safe?
Which is more common, "blöde" or "böse"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "blöde" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "böse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,070 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "blöde" and "böse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "blöde vs brody". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,988,070 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.