vertraglichvsvertraulichWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,781
“vertraglich” frequency rank
#16,589
“vertraulich” frequency rank
32370
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vertraglich vertraulich
Definition wie in einem Vertrag (einem in der Regel schriftlichen Regelwerk, beispielsweise über den Austausch von Gütern, Dienstleistungen oder Häusern zwischen Personen und Firmen, meist gegen Geld, oder zwischen Staaten) festgelegt für einen eingeschränkten Empfängerkreis vorgesehen; nicht für Fremde bestimmt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vertraglich and vertraulich apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
vertraglich
11 ch
vertraulich

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vertraglich ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːklɪç]) and vertraulich ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯lɪç]) 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 - g in “vertraglich” becomes u in “vertraulich”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32370, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vertraglich is recorded at frequency rank #15,781, classified as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːklɪç]. vertraulich is at rank #16,589, tagged as anadj, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯lɪç].

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 32370, this pair ranks #1,709,092 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vertraglich vs vertraulich

Shared letters: acehilrtv. Private to "vertraglich": g. Private to "vertraulich": u.

"vertraglich" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC  ·  "vertraulich" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vertraglichevrtraglich · verrtaglich · verrtraglich · vertarglich · vertragglich · vertragilch · vertraglcih · vertraglicch
  • vertraulichevrtraulich · verrtaulich · verrtraulich · vertarulich · vertraluich · vertrauilch · vertraulcih · vertraulicch

Frequency comparison

vertraglich#15,781
vertraulich#16,589

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vertraglich" and "vertraulich" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːklɪç] versus [fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯lɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vertraglich" or "vertraulich"?
"vertraglich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,781 in our German list, against #16,589 for "vertraulich". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vertraglich vs vertraulich

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 “vertraglich” 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