Which to use
“befohlen” and “befolgen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,924
- “befohlen” frequency rank
- #14,749
- “befolgen” frequency rank
- 31673
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befohlen | befolgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs befehlen | (einen Befehl) ausführen |
Where the eye mixes befohlen and befolgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: befohlen vs befolgen
A purely visual mix-up. befohlen ([bəˈfoːlən]) and befolgen ([bəˈfɔlɡn̩]) 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 31673, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befohlen is recorded at frequency rank #16,924, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfoːlən]. 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 31673, this pair ranks #1,723,411 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befohlen vs befolgen
Shared letters: beflno. Private to "befohlen": h. Private to "befolgen": g.
"befohlen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "befolgen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "befohlen" and "befolgen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "befohlen" or "befolgen"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "befohlen" and "befolgen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "befohlen" 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 #1,723,411 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befohlen" and "befolgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befohlen vs befüllen". 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 #1,723,411 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.