Which to use
“befallen” is an adjective and “bemalen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,489
- “befallen” frequency rank
- #41,066
- “bemalen” frequency rank
- 59555
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befallen | bemalen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von etwas betroffen | mit Malereien verzieren, dekorieren |
Where the eye mixes befallen and bemalen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. befallen runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against bemalen's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: befallen vs bemalen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befallen is [bəˈfalən] while bemalen is [bəˈmaːlən]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59555, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befallen is recorded at frequency rank #18,489, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfalən]. bemalen is at rank #41,066, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈmaːlən].
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 59555, this pair ranks #820,206 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of befallen vs bemalen
Shared letters: abeln. Private to "befallen": f. Private to "bemalen": m.
"befallen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "bemalen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "befallen" for "bemalen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "befallen" or "bemalen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "befallen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bemalen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #820,206 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befallen" and "bemalen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "banalen vs bemalen". 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 #820,206 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.