Which to use
“befolgt” is a verb and “befugt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,526
- “befolgt” frequency rank
- #25,060
- “befugt” frequency rank
- 42586
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befolgt | befugt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs befolgen | die Befugnis, das Recht, die Bevollmächtigung zu etwas besitzend |
Where the eye mixes befolgt and befugt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. befolgt runs 7 letters (CVCVCCC) against befugt's 6 (CVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses befolgt with befugt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befolgt is [bəˈfɔlkt] while befugt is [bəˈfuːkt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42586, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befolgt is recorded at frequency rank #17,526, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfɔlkt]. befugt is at rank #25,060, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfuːkt].
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 42586, this pair ranks #1,444,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of befolgt vs befugt
Shared letters: befgt. Private to "befolgt": lo. Private to "befugt": u.
"befolgt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "befugt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "befolgt" and "befugt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "befolgt" or "befugt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "befolgt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "befugt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,444,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befolgt" and "befugt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befugt vs befuhr". 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 #1,444,806 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.