murmelnvsmurrenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“murmeln” and “murren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#36,511
“murmeln” frequency rank
#45,465
“murren” frequency rank
81976
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature murmeln murren
Definition mit gedämpfter, fast unverständlicher Stimme sprechen protestierende Laute (auch Wörter) ausstoßen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set murmeln and murren apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
murmeln
6 ch
murren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. murmeln ([ˈmʊʁml̩n]) and murren ([ˈmʊʁən]) 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 81976, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

murmeln is recorded at frequency rank #36,511, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmʊʁml̩n]. murren is at rank #45,465, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmʊʁən].

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 81976, this pair ranks #165,642 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of murmeln vs murren

Shared letters: emnru. Private to "murmeln": l. Private to "murren": -.

"murmeln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "murren" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • murmelnmmurmeln · mrumeln · mumreln · muremln · murmelln · murmelnn · murmenl · murmlen
  • murrenmmurren · mruren · muren · murern · murrenn · murrne · umrren

Frequency comparison

murmeln#36,511
murren#45,465

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "murmeln" and "murren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmʊʁml̩n] versus [ˈmʊʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "murmeln" or "murren"?
"murmeln" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,511 in our German list, against #45,465 for "murren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering murmeln vs murren

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “murmeln” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list