Which to use
“irre” is an adjective and “Irrer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,524
- “irre” frequency rank
- #29,180
- “Irrer” frequency rank
- 33704
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | irre | Irrer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an einer Störung oder Fehlleistung des Geistes- und Seelenlebens (= Geisteskrankheit) leidend | (männliche^☆) Person, die an einer Psychose leidet, die verrückt ist |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set irre and Irrer apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
irre and Irrer form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “irre” sits inside “Irrer” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33704, 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]. Irrer is at rank #29,180, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɪʁɐ].
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 33704, this pair ranks #1,679,896 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "irre" and "Irrer" be used interchangeably?
Remembering irre vs Irrer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “irre”; for a noun, it's “Irrer”.
- 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