Which to use
“befolgen” and “befragen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,749
- “befolgen” frequency rank
- #12,465
- “befragen” frequency rank
- 27214
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befolgen | befragen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (einen Befehl) ausführen | um mehrere Auskünfte bitten; Fragen an jemanden stellen |
Where the eye mixes befolgen and befragen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. befolgen (CVCVCCVC) and befragen (CVCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between befolgen and befragen
A purely visual mix-up. befolgen ([bəˈfɔlɡn̩]) and befragen ([bəˈfʁaːɡn̩]) 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 27214, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befolgen is recorded at frequency rank #14,749, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfɔlɡn̩]. befragen is at rank #12,465, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈfʁaːɡn̩].
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 27214, this pair ranks #1,805,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befolgen vs befragen
Shared letters: befgn. Private to "befolgen": lo. Private to "befragen": ar.
"befolgen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "befragen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "befolgen" and "befragen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "befolgen" vs "befragen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "befolgen" and "befragen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "befolgen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "befragen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,805,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befolgen" and "befragen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befolgen 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 #1,805,417 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.