Which to use
“verbrechen” and “verbreiten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,624
- “verbrechen” frequency rank
- #4,838
- “verbreiten” frequency rank
- 7462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verbrechen | verbreiten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas Dummes, Unrechtes, Schlechtes tun | in einen großen Umkreis gelangen |
Where the eye mixes verbrechen and verbreiten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. verbrechen (CVCCCVCCVC) and verbreiten (CVCCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: verbrechen vs verbreiten
A purely visual mix-up. verbrechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]) and verbreiten ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁaɪ̯tn̩]) 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 7462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
verbrechen is recorded at frequency rank #2,624, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]. verbreiten is at rank #4,838, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁaɪ̯tn̩].
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 7462, this pair ranks #1,988,070 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of verbrechen vs verbreiten
Shared letters: benrv. Private to "verbrechen": ch. Private to "verbreiten": it.
"verbrechen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "verbreiten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verbrechen ← evrbrechen · vebrrechen · verbbrechen · verberchen · verbrcehen · verbrecchen · verbrecehn · verbrechenn
- verbreiten ← evrbreiten · vebrreiten · verbbreiten · verberiten · verbreietn · verbreitenn · verbreitne · verbreitten
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verbrechen" for "verbreiten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "verbrechen" or "verbreiten" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "verbrechen" and "verbreiten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "verbrechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "verbreiten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,070 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verbrechen" and "verbreiten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verbreite vs verbreiten". 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 #1,988,070 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.