Use this article to find the similar phrases in any ayah, see every verse that shares a phrase, compare similar verses, and color similar phrases on the Quran page. Mutashabihat are verses and phrases in the Quran that look or sound almost the same, and they are easy to mix up when you memorize or revise.
Tarteel has a built-in mutashabihat library with 814 repeated phrases and lists of similar verses for 1,208 ayahs. The similar phrases and similar verses lists are free for all Tarteel users. Coloring similar phrases on the Quran page needs Tarteel Premium.
How do I see the similar phrases in an ayah?
To see the mutashabihat phrases in an ayah in Tarteel:
In the Quran reader, press and hold the ayah.
Tap Similar phrases.
Tarteel lists each repeated phrase in the ayah. Tap a phrase to see every verse in the Quran that contains it.
If the ayah has no repeated phrases, Tarteel shows "No similar phrases found for this verse".
How do I see verses that are similar to an ayah?
To see the verses that are similar to an ayah in Tarteel:
In the Quran reader, press and hold the ayah.
Tap See similar verses. The button shows how many similar verses Tarteel found, for example "See 3 similar verses".
Tarteel opens a list of ayahs that share a lot of wording with the ayah you selected. The most similar ayahs are at the top. The shared words can be one part of the ayah or several separate parts, and Tarteel highlights all of them in each ayah. The whole ayah does not have to match. If the ayah has no similar verses, the button says "No similar verses".
What is the difference between similar phrases and similar verses?
Tarteel has two ways to find mutashabihat. Each one shows a different list of verses:
Similar phrases starts from one exact word group of 2 or more words in the ayah. It shows every ayah in the Quran that contains that same word group.
Similar verses starts from the whole ayah. It shows the ayahs that share the most wording with it, even when only part of the ayah matches.
For example, 3:11 starts with the same words as 8:52 and 8:54. In Similar phrases, 3:11 shows that opening phrase, and the phrase leads to all three ayahs. In See similar verses, 3:11 shows 8:52, which shares three separate parts of its wording, and 8:54, which shares only the opening.
To find all the mutashabihat for an ayah, check both Similar phrases and See similar verses.
The Color similar phrases setting (Premium) colors only similar phrases on the Quran page. Similar verses are not colored on the page.
How do I color similar phrases on the Quran page? (Premium)
With Tarteel Premium, you can color the mutashabihat phrases directly on the Quran page. Each set of similar phrases gets its own color, so you can see the patterns while you read and memorize. To turn similar phrase coloring on or off:
Tap Settings.
Under Quran Appearance, tap Markings.
Toggle Color similar phrases.
When the toggle is on, the repeated phrases on the Quran page appear in color. If you do not have Premium, tapping the toggle opens the Premium upgrade screen, and the similar phrases and similar verses lists stay free.
The colors only tell different sets of similar phrases apart. They do not show mistakes or Tajweed rules. Learn more: What do the different text colours mean?
Which mutashabihat features are free?
The table below shows which Tarteel mutashabihat features are on the free plan and which need Premium.
Mutashabihat feature | Free | Premium |
Similar phrases list for any ayah | ✓ | ✓ |
List of verses that share a phrase | ✓ | ✓ |
Similar verses list for any ayah | ✓ | ✓ |
Color similar phrases on the Quran page | ✓ | |
Colors inside the similar phrases list | ✓ |
Frequently asked questions
Why does Similar phrases show nothing for an ayah that repeats many times?
Some ayahs that repeat as a whole ayah have no entry in Similar phrases. One example is 55:13, "فبأي آلاء ربكما تكذبان". For these ayahs, tap See similar verses instead. For 55:13, Tarteel shows 31 similar verses.
I tapped Color similar phrases and saw an upgrade screen. Why?
Coloring similar phrases on the Quran page is a Tarteel Premium feature. The similar phrases list and the similar verses list stay free, and you can open them from any ayah.
Why do two different phrases have the same color?
Tarteel uses a fixed set of colors for similar phrases, so the same color can appear for different sets of phrases. The colors only help you tell nearby phrases apart.