verarschenvsverbrechenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,651
“verarschen” frequency rank
#2,624
“verbrechen” frequency rank
12275
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verarschen verbrechen
Definition jemandem zu seinem eigenen Vorteil beziehungsweise zur allgemeinen Belustigung eine Unwahrheit erzählen, sich über jemanden lustig machen etwas Dummes, Unrechtes, Schlechtes tun

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verarschen and verbrechen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
verarschen
10 ch
verbrechen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verarschen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔaʁʃn̩]) and verbrechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]) 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 12275, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verarschen is recorded at frequency rank #9,651, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʔaʁʃn̩]. verbrechen is at rank #2,624, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩].

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 12275, this pair ranks #1,965,151 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verarschen vs verbrechen

Shared letters: cehnrv. Private to "verarschen": as. Private to "verbrechen": b.

"verarschen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVC  ·  "verbrechen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verarschenevrarschen · vearrschen · verarcshen · verarrschen · verarscchen · verarscehn · verarschenn · verarschhen
  • verbrechenevrbrechen · vebrrechen · verbbrechen · verberchen · verbrcehen · verbrecchen · verbrecehn · verbrechenn

Frequency comparison

verarschen#9,651
verbrechen#2,624

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verarschen" and "verbrechen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔaʁʃn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verarschen" or "verbrechen"?
"verbrechen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,624 in our German list, against #9,651 for "verarschen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering verarschen vs verbrechen

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 “verarschen” 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