Which to use
“befähigen” is a verb and “befähigt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,474
- “befähigen” frequency rank
- #28,090
- “befähigt” frequency rank
- 72564
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befähigen | befähigt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden in die Lage versetzen, etwas zu tun | eine besondere Fähigkeit, Qualifikation oder Talent für etwas aufweisend |
Where the eye mixes befähigen and befähigt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. befähigen runs 9 letters (CVCVCVCVC) against befähigt's 8 (CVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between befähigen and befähigt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befähigen is [bəˈfɛːɪɡn̩] while befähigt is [bəˈfɛːɪçt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72564, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befähigen is recorded at frequency rank #44,474, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfɛːɪɡn̩]. befähigt is at rank #28,090, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfɛːɪçt].
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 72564, this pair ranks #384,799 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of befähigen vs befähigt
Shared letters: befghiä. Private to "befähigen": n. Private to "befähigt": t.
"befähigen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC · "befähigt" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "befähigen" and "befähigt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "befähigen" or "befähigt" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "befähigen" and "befähigt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "befähigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "befähigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #384,799 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befähigen" and "befähigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befähigen vs befangen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #384,799 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.