Which to use
“Befähigung” and “Beruhigung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,656
- “Befähigung” frequency rank
- #20,856
- “Beruhigung” frequency rank
- 56512
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Befähigung | Beruhigung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Befähigtsein, die Eignung für eine bestimmte Aufgabe | das Entspannen einer Situation |
Where the eye mixes Befähigung and Beruhigung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Befähigung with Beruhigung
A purely visual mix-up. Befähigung ([bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ]) and Beruhigung ([bəˈʁuːɪɡʊŋ]) 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 56512, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Befähigung is recorded at frequency rank #35,656, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ]. Beruhigung is at rank #20,856, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈʁuːɪɡʊŋ].
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 56512, this pair ranks #937,303 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Befähigung vs Beruhigung
Shared letters: beghinu. Private to "Befähigung": fä. Private to "Beruhigung": r.
"Befähigung" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCC · "Beruhigung" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Beruhigung ← bberuhigung · berhuigung · berruhigung · beruhgiung · beruhhigung · beruhiggung · beruhignug · beruhigugn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Befähigung" for "Beruhigung" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Befähigung" or "Beruhigung"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Befähigung" and "Beruhigung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Befähigung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Beruhigung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #937,303 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Befähigung" and "Beruhigung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befähigen vs Befähigung". 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 #937,303 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.