Which to use
“irren” and “irrte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,629
- “irren” frequency rank
- #46,755
- “irrte” frequency rank
- 54384
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | irren | irrte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | falsch liegen, einem Fehler aufsitzen, einen Irrtum begehen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs irren |
Where the eye mixes irren and irrte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. irren (VCCVC) and irrte (VCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: irren vs irrte
A purely visual mix-up. irren ([ˈɪʁən]) and irrte ([ˈɪʁtə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54384, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
irren is recorded at frequency rank #7,629, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɪʁən]. irrte is at rank #46,755, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɪʁtə].
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 54384, this pair ranks #1,021,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of irren vs irrte
Shared letters: eir. Private to "irren": n. Private to "irrte": t.
"irren" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "irrte" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "irren" for "irrte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "irren" or "irrte"?
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 "irren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "irrte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,021,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "irren" and "irrte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Irrer vs irrte". 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 #1,021,050 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.