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 eye mixes verbrechen and verbrochen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. verbrechen and verbrochen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses verbrechen with verbrochen
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
- verbrechen ← evrbrechen · vebrrechen · verbbrechen · verberchen · verbrcehen · verbrecchen · verbrecehn · verbrechenn
- verbrochen ← evrbrochen · vebrrochen · verbbrochen · verborchen · verbrcohen · verbrocchen · verbrocehn · verbrochenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "verbrechen" for "verbrochen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "verbrechen" or "verbrochen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "verbrechen" 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 #1,651,320 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verbrechen" 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 #1,651,320 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.