Which to use
“befragten” is an adjective and “betragen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,289
- “befragten” frequency rank
- #6,515
- “betragen” frequency rank
- 13804
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befragten | betragen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befragt | einen Wert, eine zahlenmäßige Größe, einen Geldbetrag darstellen, ausmachen, umfassen |
Where the eye mixes befragten and betragen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses befragten with betragen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befragten is [bəˈfʁaːktn̩] while betragen is [bəˈtʁaːɡn̩]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13804, 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]. betragen is at rank #6,515, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈtʁaːɡn̩].
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 13804, this pair ranks #1,955,571 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befragten vs betragen
Shared letters: abegnrt. Private to "befragten": f. Private to "betragen": -.
"befragten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "betragen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "befragten" and "betragen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "befragten" vs "betragen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "befragten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "betragen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,955,571 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befragten" and "betragen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Beitrages vs betragen". 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 #1,955,571 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.