probiervsprobiereTell them apart

Which to use

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

#12,366
“probier” frequency rank
#16,517
“probiere” frequency rank
28883
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature probier probiere
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs probieren 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs probieren

Where the eye mixes probier and probiere

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
probier
8 ch
probiere

Visual trap between probier and probiere

A purely visual mix-up. probier ([pʁoˈbiːɐ̯]) and probiere ([pʁoˈbiːʁə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “probier” sits inside “probiere”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28883, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

probier is recorded at frequency rank #12,366, classified as averb, pronounced [pʁoˈbiːɐ̯]. probiere is at rank #16,517, tagged as averb, pronounced [pʁoˈbiːʁə].

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 28883, this pair ranks #1,776,872 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of probier vs probiere

Shared letters: beiopr. Private to "probier": -. Private to "probiere": -.

"probier" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVVC  ·  "probiere" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • probierporbier · pprobier · prboier · probbier · probeir · probierr · probire · proiber
  • probiereporbiere · pprobiere · prboiere · probbiere · probeire · probieer · probierre · probiree

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "probier" for "probiere" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([pʁoˈbiːɐ̯] versus [pʁoˈbiːʁə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "probier" vs "probiere" - which ranks higher?
"probier" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,366 in our German list, against #16,517 for "probiere". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "probier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "probiere" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,776,872 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "probier" and "probiere" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "probiere vs probierte". 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 #1,776,872 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