Which to use
“einbrechen” and “einzubrechen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,370
- “einbrechen” frequency rank
- #45,889
- “einzubrechen” frequency rank
- 72259
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | einbrechen | einzubrechen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in ein Gebäude (beziehungsweise bei jemandem) eindringen ohne dazu befugt zu sein, oft mit Gewalt und Zerstörung von etwas verbunden | erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs einbrechen |
Where the eye mixes einbrechen and einzubrechen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. einbrechen runs 10 letters (VVCCCVCCVC) against einzubrechen's 12 (VVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses einbrechen with einzubrechen
A purely visual mix-up. einbrechen ([ˈaɪ̯nˌbʁɛçn̩]) and einzubrechen ([ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌbʁɛçn̩]) 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 72259, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
einbrechen is recorded at frequency rank #26,370, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌbʁɛçn̩]. einzubrechen is at rank #45,889, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌbʁɛçn̩].
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 72259, this pair ranks #393,273 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of einbrechen vs einzubrechen
Shared letters: bcehinr. Private to "einbrechen": -. Private to "einzubrechen": uz.
"einbrechen" · 10 letters · shape VVCCCVCCVC · "einzubrechen" · 12 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- einbrechen ← eibnrechen · einbbrechen · einberchen · einbrcehen · einbrecchen · einbrecehn · einbrechenn · einbrechhen
- einzubrechen ← einnzubrechen · einuzbrechen · einzburechen · einzubbrechen · einzuberchen · einzubrcehen · einzubrecchen · einzubrecehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "einbrechen" for "einzubrechen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "einbrechen" vs "einzubrechen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "einbrechen" and "einzubrechen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "einbrechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "einzubrechen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #393,273 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "einbrechen" and "einzubrechen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einbrechen vs einreihen". 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 #393,273 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.