befasstvsbemisstTell them apart

Which to use

“befasst” and “bemisst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#5,803
“befasst” frequency rank
#47,993
“bemisst” frequency rank
53796
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature befasst bemisst
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs befassen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs bemessen

Where the eye mixes befasst and bemisst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
befasst
7 ch
bemisst

Visual trap between befasst and bemisst

A purely visual mix-up. befasst ([bəˈfast]) and bemisst ([bəˈmɪst]) 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 53796, 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]. bemisst is at rank #47,993, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈmɪst].

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 53796, this pair ranks #1,043,912 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of befasst vs bemisst

Shared letters: best. Private to "befasst": af. Private to "bemisst": im.

"befasst" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC  ·  "bemisst" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • befasstbbefasst · beafsst · befasstt · befast · befasts · befaßt · beffasst · befsast
  • bemisstbbemisst · beimsst · bemisstt · bemist · bemists · bemißt · bemmisst · bemsist

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "befasst" and "bemisst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈfast] versus [bəˈmɪst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "befasst" vs "bemisst" - which ranks higher?
"befasst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,803 in our German list, against #47,993 for "bemisst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "befasst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bemisst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,043,912 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "befasst" and "bemisst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "belässt vs bemisst". 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 #1,043,912 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list