VerratvsverrietConfusable pair

Quick tell: Verrat is a noun, verriet is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Verrat” is a noun and “verriet” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,561
“Verrat” frequency rank
#19,756
“verriet” frequency rank
31317
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Verrat verriet
Definition Weitergabe von Informationen ohne das Einverständnis des Betroffenen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs verraten

Where the eye mixes Verrat and verriet

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Verrat runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against verriet's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Verrat
7 ch
verriet

Why the eye confuses Verrat with verriet

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Verrat is [fɛɐ̯ˈʁaːt] while verriet is [fɛɐ̯ˈʁiːt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Verrat is recorded at frequency rank #11,561, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʁaːt]. verriet is at rank #19,756, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʁiːt].

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 31317, this pair ranks #1,730,572 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Verrat vs verriet

Shared letters: ertv. Private to "Verrat": a. Private to "verriet": i.

"Verrat" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "verriet" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Verrat ← evrrat · verart · verat · verratt · verrta · vrerat · vverrat
  • verriet ← evrriet · veriet · veriret · verreit · verriett · verrite · vreriet · vverriet

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Verrat" and "verriet" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Verrat" is a noun and "verriet" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Verrat" or "verriet"?
"Verrat" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,561 in our German list, against #19,756 for "verriet". 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 "Verrat" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verriet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,730,572 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Verrat" and "verriet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verriet vs verzieh". 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 #1,730,572 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