verbrechenvsverbrochenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,624
“verbrechen” frequency rank
#32,336
“verbrochen” frequency rank
34960
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verbrechen verbrochen
Definition etwas Dummes, Unrechtes, Schlechtes tun Partizip Perfekt des Verbs verbrechen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verbrechen and verbrochen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
verbrechen
10 ch
verbrochen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verbrechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]) 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 differ by a single letter - e in “verbrechen” becomes o in “verbrochen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34960, 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]. 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 34960, this pair ranks #1,651,320 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of verbrechen vs verbrochen

Shared letters: bcehnrv. Private to "verbrechen": -. Private to "verbrochen": o.

"verbrechen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "verbrochen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verbrechenevrbrechen · vebrrechen · verbbrechen · verberchen · verbrcehen · verbrecchen · verbrecehn · verbrechenn
  • verbrochenevrbrochen · vebrrochen · verbbrochen · verborchen · verbrcohen · verbrocchen · verbrocehn · verbrochenn

Frequency comparison

verbrechen#2,624
verbrochen#32,336

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verbrechen" and "verbrochen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɔxn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verbrechen" or "verbrochen"?
"verbrechen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,624 in our German list, against #32,336 for "verbrochen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering verbrechen vs verbrochen

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 “verbrechen” 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