Which to use
“befolgen” and “bewogen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,749
- “befolgen” frequency rank
- #30,478
- “bewogen” frequency rank
- 45227
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befolgen | bewogen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (einen Befehl) ausführen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bewegen |
Where the eye mixes befolgen and bewogen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. befolgen runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against bewogen's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses befolgen with bewogen
A purely visual mix-up. befolgen ([bəˈfɔlɡn̩]) and bewogen ([bəˈvoːɡn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45227, 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]. bewogen is at rank #30,478, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈvoːɡn̩].
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 45227, this pair ranks #1,360,239 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of befolgen vs bewogen
Shared letters: begno. Private to "befolgen": fl. Private to "bewogen": w.
"befolgen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "bewogen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "befolgen" for "bewogen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "befolgen" vs "bewogen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "befolgen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bewogen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,360,239 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befolgen" and "bewogen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bewegend vs bewogen". 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 #1,360,239 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.