Which to use
“Bürste” and “Büste” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,582
- “Bürste” frequency rank
- #26,801
- “Büste” frequency rank
- 55383
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Bürste | Büste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus einem Stiel oder Griff und befestigten Borsten bestehender Gegenstand | plastisch gestaltetes Abbild einer Person bis zur Schulter oder als Halbfigur |
Where the eye mixes Bürste and Büste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Bürste vs Büste
A purely visual mix-up. Bürste ([ˈbʏʁstə]) and Büste ([ˈbʏstə]) 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 55383, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Bürste is recorded at frequency rank #28,582, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbʏʁstə]. Büste is at rank #26,801, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbʏstə].
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 55383, this pair ranks #981,680 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Bürste vs Büste
Shared letters: bestü. Private to "Bürste": r. Private to "Büste": -.
"Bürste" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "Büste" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Bürste" for "Büste" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Bürste" vs "Büste" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Bürste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Büste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #981,680 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Bürste" and "Büste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bussi vs Büste". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #981,680 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.