Which to use
“befähigen” is a verb and “befahren” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,474
- “befähigen” frequency rank
- #14,748
- “befahren” frequency rank
- 59222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befähigen | befahren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden in die Lage versetzen, etwas zu tun | mit Fahrzeugen benutzt |
Where the eye mixes befähigen and befahren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. befähigen runs 9 letters (CVCVCVCVC) against befahren's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: befähigen vs befahren
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befähigen is [bəˈfɛːɪɡn̩] while befahren is [bəˈfaːʁən]. 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 59222, 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]. befahren is at rank #14,748, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfaːʁən].
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 59222, this pair ranks #832,692 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of befähigen vs befahren
Shared letters: befhn. Private to "befähigen": giä. Private to "befahren": ar.
"befähigen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC · "befahren" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- befahren ← bbefahren · beafhren · befahern · befahhren · befahrenn · befahrne · befahrren · befarhen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "befähigen" for "befahren" ever safe?
Frequency check: "befähigen" vs "befahren" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "befähigen" and "befahren" 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 "befahren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #832,692 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befähigen" and "befahren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befähigen vs befangen". 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 #832,692 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.