bebtvsbistConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#47,244
“bebt” frequency rank
#225
“bist” frequency rank
47469
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bebt bist
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs beben 2. Person Singular Präsens Indikativ des Verbs sein

Where the eye mixes bebt and bist

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
bebt
4 ch
bist

Look-alike desk: bebt vs bist

A purely visual mix-up. bebt ([beːpt]) and bist ([bɪst]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47469, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bebt is recorded at frequency rank #47,244, classified as averb, pronounced [beːpt]. bist is at rank #225, tagged as averb, pronounced [bɪst].

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 47469, this pair ranks #1,283,149 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bebt vs bist

Shared letters: bt. Private to "bebt": e. Private to "bist": is.

"bebt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "bist" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bebtbbebt · bbet · bebbt · bebtt · betb · ebbt
  • bistbbist · bisst · bistt · bsit · ibst

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "bebt" for "bist" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([beːpt] versus [bɪst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bebt" or "bist"?
"bist" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #225 in our German list, against #47,244 for "bebt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "bebt" and "bist" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "bebt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bist" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,283,149 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bebt" and "bist" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bebt vs Bubi". 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 #1,283,149 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