Which to use
“broken” is an adjective and “Broker” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,482
- “broken” frequency rank
- #16,108
- “Broker” frequency rank
- 41590
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | broken | Broker |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zerbrochen, kaputt, defekt, beschädigt | Effektenhändler an der Börse, Wertpapierhändler |
Where the eye mixes broken and Broker
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses broken with Broker
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: broken is [ˈbrəʊkən] while Broker is [ˈbʁoːkɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “broken” becomes r in “Broker”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
broken is recorded at frequency rank #25,482, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbrəʊkən]. Broker is at rank #16,108, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbʁoːkɐ].
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 41590, this pair ranks #1,474,916 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of broken vs Broker
Shared letters: bekor. Private to "broken": n. Private to "Broker": -.
"broken" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "Broker" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "broken" for "Broker" ever safe?
Frequency check: "broken" vs "Broker" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "broken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Broker" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,474,916 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "broken" and "Broker" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Böen vs broken". 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 #1,474,916 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.