Which to use
“befahl” and “befuhr” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,642
- “befahl” frequency rank
- #43,044
- “befuhr” frequency rank
- 59686
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befahl | befuhr |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs befehlen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs befahren |
Where the eye mixes befahl and befuhr
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. befahl and befuhr follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses befahl with befuhr
A purely visual mix-up. befahl ([bəˈfaːl]) and befuhr ([bəˈfuːɐ̯]) 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 59686, 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]. befuhr is at rank #43,044, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈfuːɐ̯].
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 59686, this pair ranks #815,214 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of befahl vs befuhr
Shared letters: befh. Private to "befahl": al. Private to "befuhr": ru.
"befahl" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "befuhr" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "befahl" and "befuhr" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "befahl" or "befuhr"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "befahl" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "befuhr" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #815,214 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befahl" and "befuhr" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befuhr vs bemühe". 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 #815,214 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.