Which to use
“befreien” is a verb and “befreiten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,767
- “befreien” frequency rank
- #26,327
- “befreiten” frequency rank
- 31094
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befreien | befreiten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus einer Zwangslage entkommen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befreit |
Where the eye mixes befreien and befreiten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. befreien runs 8 letters (CVCCVVVC) against befreiten's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: befreien vs befreiten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befreien is [bəˈfʁaɪ̯ən] while befreiten is [bəˈfʁaɪ̯tn̩]. 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 31094, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befreien is recorded at frequency rank #4,767, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfʁaɪ̯ən]. 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 31094, this pair ranks #1,734,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befreien vs befreiten
Shared letters: befinr. Private to "befreien": -. Private to "befreiten": t.
"befreien" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVVC · "befreiten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "befreien" for "befreiten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "befreien" or "befreiten" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "befreien" 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 #1,734,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befreien" 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 #1,734,921 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.