beeilenvsbemalenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,460
“beeilen” frequency rank
#41,066
“bemalen” frequency rank
66526
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature beeilen bemalen
Definition (die Geschwindigkeit erhöhen), sich schneller bewegen, schneller machen mit Malereien verzieren, dekorieren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set beeilen and bemalen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
beeilen
7 ch
bemalen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. beeilen ([bəˈʔaɪ̯lən]) and bemalen ([bəˈmaːlən]) 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 66526, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

beeilen is recorded at frequency rank #25,460, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʔaɪ̯lən]. bemalen is at rank #41,066, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈmaːlən].

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 66526, this pair ranks #570,263 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of beeilen vs bemalen

Shared letters: beln. Private to "beeilen": i. Private to "bemalen": am.

"beeilen" · 7 letters · shape CVVVCVC  ·  "bemalen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • beeilenbbeeilen · beeieln · beeilenn · beeillen · beeilne · beelien · beielen · beilen
  • bemalenbbemalen · beamlen · bemaeln · bemalenn · bemallen · bemalne · bemlaen · bemmalen

Frequency comparison

beeilen#25,460
bemalen#41,066

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "beeilen" and "bemalen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈʔaɪ̯lən] versus [bəˈmaːlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "beeilen" or "bemalen"?
"beeilen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,460 in our German list, against #41,066 for "bemalen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering beeilen vs bemalen

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 “beeilen” 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