Which to use
“bäh” is an intj and “bei” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,503
- “bäh” frequency rank
- #29
- “bei” frequency rank
- 33532
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bäh | bei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ausdruck der Abscheu, der Verachtung, der Schadenfreude | in unmittelbarer Nähe |
Where the eye mixes bäh and bei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses bäh with bei
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bäh is [bɛː] while bei is [baɪ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33532, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bäh is recorded at frequency rank #33,503, classified as anintj, pronounced [bɛː]. bei is at rank #29, tagged as aprep, pronounced [baɪ̯].
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 33532, this pair ranks #1,683,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bäh vs bei
Shared letters: b. Private to "bäh": hä. Private to "bei": ei.
"bäh" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "bei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bäh" for "bei" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "bäh" or "bei" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bäh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,683,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bäh" and "bei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bäh vs bic". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,683,921 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.