Which to use
“befahl” is a verb and “Befehle” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,642
- “befahl” frequency rank
- #9,333
- “Befehle” frequency rank
- 25975
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befahl | Befehle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs befehlen | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Befehl |
Where the eye mixes befahl and Befehle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. befahl runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against Befehle's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses befahl with Befehle
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befahl is [bəˈfaːl] while Befehle is [bəˈfeːlə]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25975, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befahl is recorded at frequency rank #16,642, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfaːl]. Befehle is at rank #9,333, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈfeːlə].
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 25975, this pair ranks #1,825,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befahl vs Befehle
Shared letters: befhl. Private to "befahl": a. Private to "Befehle": -.
"befahl" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "Befehle" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "befahl" and "Befehle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "befahl" or "Befehle"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "befahl" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Befehle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,825,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befahl" and "Befehle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befahl vs befuhr". 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 #1,825,153 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.