probierenvsProblemenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: probieren is a verb, Problemen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“probieren” is a verb and “Problemen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,840
“probieren” frequency rank
#3,274
“Problemen” frequency rank
7114
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature probieren Problemen
Definition versuchen; testen; eine Probe machen Dativ Plural des Substantivs Problem

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set probieren and Problemen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
probieren
9 ch
Problemen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: probieren is [pʁoˈbiːʁən] while Problemen is [pʁoˈbleːmən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7114, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

probieren is recorded at frequency rank #3,840, classified as averb, pronounced [pʁoˈbiːʁən]. Problemen is at rank #3,274, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pʁoˈbleːmən].

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 7114, this pair ranks #1,989,338 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of probieren vs Problemen

Shared letters: benopr. Private to "probieren": i. Private to "Problemen": lm.

"probieren" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVVCVC  ·  "Problemen" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • probierenporbieren · pprobieren · prboieren · probbieren · probeiren · probieern · probierenn · probierne
  • Problemenporblemen · pproblemen · prbolemen · probblemen · probelmen · probleemn · problemenn · problemmen

Frequency comparison

probieren#3,840
Problemen#3,274

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "probieren" and "Problemen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "probieren" is a verb and "Problemen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "probieren" or "Problemen"?
"Problemen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,274 in our German list, against #3,840 for "probieren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering probieren vs Problemen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “probieren”; for a noun, it's “Problemen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “probieren” 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