VerträgevsVertrauenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#4,166
“Verträge” frequency rank
#1,405
“Vertrauen” frequency rank
5571
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Verträge Vertrauen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vertrag Überzeugung von der Richtigkeit beziehungsweise Wahrheit einer Handlung oder eines anderen Menschen, die in der Regel ein gegenseitiges Verhältnis der Zuverlässigkeit bedingt

Where the eye mixes Verträge and Vertrauen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

8 ch
Verträge
9 ch
Vertrauen

Visual trap between Verträge and Vertrauen

A purely visual mix-up. Verträge ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁɛːɡə]) and Vertrauen ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯ən]) 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 5571, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Verträge is recorded at frequency rank #4,166, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁɛːɡə]. Vertrauen is at rank #1,405, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯ən].

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 5571, this pair ranks #1,994,366 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Verträge vs Vertrauen

Shared letters: ertv. Private to "Verträge": . Private to "Vertrauen": anu.

"Verträge" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV  ·  "Vertrauen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Vertrauenevrtrauen · verrtauen · verrtrauen · vertaruen · vertraeun · vertrauenn · vertraune · vertrrauen

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Verträge" for "Vertrauen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁɛːɡə] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯ən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Verträge" or "Vertrauen" show up more?
"Vertrauen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,405 in our German list, against #4,166 for "Verträge". 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 "Verträge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Vertrauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,994,366 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Verträge" and "Vertrauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Vertrauen vs vertraust". 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 #1,994,366 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