ProbenvsProblemWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,297
“Proben” frequency rank
#381
“Problem” frequency rank
5678
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Proben Problem
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Probe schwierige, noch ungelöste Aufgabe

Where the eye mixes Proben and Problem

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Proben
7 ch
Problem

Look-alike desk: Proben vs Problem

A purely visual mix-up. Proben ([ˈpʁoːbn̩]) and Problem ([pʁoˈbleːm]) 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 5678, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Proben is recorded at frequency rank #5,297, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpʁoːbn̩]. Problem is at rank #381, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pʁoˈbleːm].

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 5678, this pair ranks #1,994,060 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Proben vs Problem

Shared letters: beopr. Private to "Proben": n. Private to "Problem": lm.

"Proben" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "Problem" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Probenporben · pproben · prboen · probben · probenn · probne · proebn · prroben
  • Problemporblem · pproblem · prbolem · probblem · probelm · problemm · probllem · problme

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Proben" and "Problem" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpʁoːbn̩] versus [pʁoˈbleːm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Proben" or "Problem"?
"Problem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #381 in our German list, against #5,297 for "Proben". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Proben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Problem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,994,060 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Proben" and "Problem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "prob vs Proben". 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 #1,994,060 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list