Which to use
“befragen” is a verb and “Befragung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,465
- “befragen” frequency rank
- #8,834
- “Befragung” frequency rank
- 21299
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befragen | Befragung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | um mehrere Auskünfte bitten; Fragen an jemanden stellen | das Stellen von Fragen an Zeugen oder Verdächtige zu einem Unfall oder einem Verbrechen |
Where the eye mixes befragen and Befragung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. befragen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against Befragung's 9 (CVCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between befragen and Befragung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befragen is [bəˈfʁaːɡn̩] while Befragung is [bəˈfʁaːɡʊŋ]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21299, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befragen is recorded at frequency rank #12,465, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfʁaːɡn̩]. Befragung is at rank #8,834, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈfʁaːɡʊŋ].
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 21299, this pair ranks #1,887,913 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befragen vs Befragung
Shared letters: abefgnr. Private to "befragen": -. Private to "Befragung": u.
"befragen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "Befragung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "befragen" and "Befragung" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "befragen" vs "Befragung" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "befragen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Befragung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,887,913 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befragen" and "Befragung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befragen vs Betrages". 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 #1,887,913 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.