Which to use
“befestigen” and “belästigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,509
- “befestigen” frequency rank
- #16,929
- “belästigen” frequency rank
- 36438
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befestigen | belästigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an etwas fest anbringen | jemanden aktiv stören und bei demjenigen ein Unwohlsein erzeugen |
Where the eye mixes befestigen and belästigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. befestigen and belästigen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between befestigen and belästigen
A purely visual mix-up. befestigen ([bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]) and belästigen ([bəˈlɛstɪɡn̩]) 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 36438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befestigen is recorded at frequency rank #19,509, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]. belästigen is at rank #16,929, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈlɛstɪɡn̩].
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 36438, this pair ranks #1,615,611 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befestigen vs belästigen
Shared letters: beginst. Private to "befestigen": f. Private to "belästigen": lä.
"befestigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC · "belästigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- befestigen ← bbefestigen · beefstigen · befesitgen · befesstigen · befestgien · befestiegn · befestigenn · befestiggen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "befestigen" for "belästigen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "befestigen" or "belästigen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "befestigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "belästigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,615,611 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befestigen" and "belästigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befestigen vs befestigten". 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 #1,615,611 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.