Which to use
“befangen” is an adjective and “befolgen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,367
- “befangen” frequency rank
- #14,749
- “befolgen” frequency rank
- 57116
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befangen | befolgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht mehr neutral, sondern jemandem verpflichtet | (einen Befehl) ausführen |
Where the eye mixes befangen and befolgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. befangen and befolgen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: befangen vs befolgen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befangen is [bəˈfaŋən] while befolgen is [bəˈfɔlɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57116, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befangen is recorded at frequency rank #42,367, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfaŋən]. befolgen is at rank #14,749, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈfɔlɡn̩].
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 57116, this pair ranks #913,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of befangen vs befolgen
Shared letters: befgn. Private to "befangen": a. Private to "befolgen": lo.
"befangen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "befolgen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "befangen" for "befolgen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "befangen" or "befolgen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "befangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "befolgen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #913,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befangen" and "befolgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befangen vs begangene". 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 #913,835 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.