befragtenvsbefreitenConfusable pair

Which to use

“befragten” and “befreiten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,289
“befragten” frequency rank
#26,327
“befreiten” frequency rank
33616
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature befragten befreiten
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befragt Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befreit

Where the eye mixes befragten and befreiten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. befragten (CVCCVCCVC) and befreiten (CVCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

9 ch
befragten
9 ch
befreiten

Visual trap between befragten and befreiten

A purely visual mix-up. befragten ([bəˈfʁaːktn̩]) and befreiten ([bəˈfʁaɪ̯tn̩]) 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 33616, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

befragten is recorded at frequency rank #7,289, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfʁaːktn̩]. befreiten is at rank #26,327, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfʁaɪ̯tn̩].

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 33616, this pair ranks #1,681,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of befragten vs befreiten

Shared letters: befnrt. Private to "befragten": ag. Private to "befreiten": i.

"befragten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "befreiten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • befragtenbbefragten · befargten · beffragten · befragetn · befraggten · befragtenn · befragtne · befragtten
  • befreitenbbefreiten · beferiten · beffreiten · befreietn · befreitenn · befreitne · befreitten · befretien

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "befragten" and "befreiten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈfʁaːktn̩] versus [bəˈfʁaɪ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "befragten" vs "befreiten" - which ranks higher?
"befragten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,289 in our German list, against #26,327 for "befreiten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "befragten" and "befreiten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "befragten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "befreiten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,681,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "befragten" and "befreiten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befreiend vs befreiten". 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 #1,681,904 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list