Which to use
“irre” is an adjective and “irren” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,524
- “irre” frequency rank
- #7,629
- “irren” frequency rank
- 12153
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | irre | irren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an einer Störung oder Fehlleistung des Geistes- und Seelenlebens (= Geisteskrankheit) leidend | falsch liegen, einem Fehler aufsitzen, einen Irrtum begehen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set irre and irren apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: irre is [ˈɪʁə] while irren is [ˈɪʁən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “irre” sits inside “irren”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12153, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
irre is recorded at frequency rank #4,524, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɪʁə]. irren is at rank #7,629, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɪʁən].
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 12153, this pair ranks #1,965,873 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of irre vs irren
Shared letters: eir. Private to "irre": -. Private to "irren": n.
"irre" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "irren" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "irre" and "irren" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "irre" or "irren"?
Remembering irre vs irren
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “irre”; for a verb, it's “irren”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “irre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable