Which to use
“bean” and “ber” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,940
- “bean” frequency rank
- #4,962
- “ber” frequency rank
- 37902
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bean | ber |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Bohne | Beere |
Where the eye mixes bean and ber
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: bean vs ber
A purely visual mix-up. bean ([biːn]) and ber ([beːɹ]) 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 37902, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bean is recorded at frequency rank #32,940, classified as anoun, pronounced [biːn]. ber is at rank #4,962, tagged as anoun, pronounced [beːɹ].
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 37902, this pair ranks #1,578,079 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bean vs ber
Shared letters: be. Private to "bean": an. Private to "ber": r.
"bean" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "ber" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- bean ← baen · bbean · beann · bena · eban
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bean" for "ber" ever safe?
Which is more common, "bean" or "ber"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bean" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ber" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,578,079 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bean" and "ber" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bean vs brun". 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 #1,578,079 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.