verarschenvsverbrochenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#9,651
“verarschen” frequency rank
#32,336
“verbrochen” frequency rank
41987
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verarschen verbrochen
Definition jemandem zu seinem eigenen Vorteil beziehungsweise zur allgemeinen Belustigung eine Unwahrheit erzählen, sich über jemanden lustig machen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verbrechen

Where the eye mixes verarschen and verbrochen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verarschen (CVCVCCCCVC) and verbrochen (CVCCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

10 ch
verarschen
10 ch
verbrochen

Visual trap between verarschen and verbrochen

A purely visual mix-up. verarschen ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔaʁʃn̩]) and verbrochen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɔxn̩]) 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 41987, 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]. verbrochen is at rank #32,336, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɔxn̩].

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 41987, this pair ranks #1,463,037 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verarschen vs verbrochen

Shared letters: cehnrv. Private to "verarschen": as. Private to "verbrochen": bo.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verarschen ← evrarschen · vearrschen · verarcshen · verarrschen · verarscchen · verarscehn · verarschenn · verarschhen
  • verbrochen ← evrbrochen · vebrrochen · verbbrochen · verborchen · verbrcohen · verbrocchen · verbrocehn · verbrochenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "verarschen" and "verbrochen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʔaʁʃn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɔxn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verarschen" or "verbrochen"?
"verarschen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,651 in our German list, against #32,336 for "verbrochen". 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 "verarschen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verbrochen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,463,037 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "verarschen" and "verbrochen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Verbrechern vs verbrochen". 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 #1,463,037 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