Which to use
“befasst” is a verb and “befasste” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,803
- “befasst” frequency rank
- #21,899
- “befasste” frequency rank
- 27702
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befasst | befasste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs befassen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befasst |
Where the eye mixes befasst and befasste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between befasst and befasste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befasst is [bəˈfast] while befasste is [bəˈfastə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “befasst” sits inside “befasste”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27702, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befasst is recorded at frequency rank #5,803, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfast]. befasste is at rank #21,899, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfastə].
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 27702, this pair ranks #1,797,312 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befasst vs befasste
Shared letters: abefst. Private to "befasst": -. Private to "befasste": -.
"befasst" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "befasste" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "befasst" and "befasste" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "befasst" vs "befasste" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "befasst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "befasste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,797,312 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befasst" and "befasste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befasste vs belässt". 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 #1,797,312 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.