Which to use
“verbrechen” and “verkriechen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,624
- “verbrechen” frequency rank
- #44,328
- “verkriechen” frequency rank
- 46952
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | verbrechen | verkriechen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas Dummes, Unrechtes, Schlechtes tun | sich aus der Öffentlichkeit an einen schützenden Ort zurückziehen |
Where the eye mixes verbrechen and verkriechen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. verbrechen runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against verkriechen's 11 (CVCCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses verbrechen with verkriechen
A purely visual mix-up. verbrechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]) and verkriechen ([fɛɐ̯ˈkʁiːçn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46952, 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]. verkriechen is at rank #44,328, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈkʁiːçn̩].
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 46952, this pair ranks #1,301,327 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of verbrechen vs verkriechen
Shared letters: cehnrv. Private to "verbrechen": b. Private to "verkriechen": ik.
"verbrechen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "verkriechen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- verbrechen ← evrbrechen · vebrrechen · verbbrechen · verberchen · verbrcehen · verbrecchen · verbrecehn · verbrechenn
- verkriechen ← evrkriechen · vekrriechen · verkirechen · verkkriechen · verkreichen · verkricehen · verkriecchen · verkriecehn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "verbrechen" and "verkriechen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "verbrechen" vs "verkriechen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "verbrechen" and "verkriechen" 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 "verkriechen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,301,327 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "verbrechen" and "verkriechen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verbrechen vs verrechnen". 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 #1,301,327 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.