verratenvsverrottenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,928
“verraten” frequency rank
#48,596
“verrotten” frequency rank
52524
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verraten verrotten
Definition jemandem ein Geheimnis oder eine vertrauliche Nachricht preisgeben in den Zersetzungsprozess übergehen, bis aus organischem Material Humus/Erde geworden ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verraten and verrotten apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
verraten
9 ch
verrotten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verraten ([fɛɐ̯ˈʁaːtn̩]) and verrotten ([fɛɐ̯ˈʁɔtn̩]) 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 52524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verraten is recorded at frequency rank #3,928, classified as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʁaːtn̩]. verrotten is at rank #48,596, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈʁɔtn̩].

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 52524, this pair ranks #1,093,420 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verraten vs verrotten

Shared letters: enrtv. Private to "verraten": a. Private to "verrotten": o.

"verraten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "verrotten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verratenevrraten · verarten · veraten · verraetn · verratenn · verratne · verratten · verrtaen
  • verrottenevrrotten · verotten · verrotetn · verrottenn · verrottne · verrtoten · vrerotten · vverrotten

Frequency comparison

verraten#3,928
verrotten#48,596

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verraten" and "verrotten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈʁaːtn̩] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈʁɔtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verraten" or "verrotten"?
"verraten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,928 in our German list, against #48,596 for "verrotten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering verraten vs verrotten

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 “verraten” 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