Which to use
“befriedigen” is a verb and “Befriedigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,318
- “befriedigen” frequency rank
- #18,183
- “Befriedigung” frequency rank
- 31501
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befriedigen | Befriedigung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Erwartungen oder Bedürfnisse von jemandem oder etwas erfüllen | Handlung, durch die die Wünsche und Ansprüche des Betreffenden erfüllt sind oder werden und Ergebnis dieser Handlung; Zufriedenstellung |
Where the eye mixes befriedigen and Befriedigung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. befriedigen runs 11 letters (CVCCVVCVCVC) against Befriedigung's 12 (CVCCVVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between befriedigen and Befriedigung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befriedigen is [bəˈfʁiːdɪɡn̩] while Befriedigung is [bəˈfʁiːdɪɡʊŋ]. 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 31501, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befriedigen is recorded at frequency rank #13,318, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfʁiːdɪɡn̩]. Befriedigung is at rank #18,183, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈfʁiːdɪɡʊŋ].
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 31501, this pair ranks #1,726,836 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befriedigen vs Befriedigung
Shared letters: bdefginr. Private to "befriedigen": -. Private to "Befriedigung": u.
"befriedigen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVC · "Befriedigung" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- befriedigen ← bbefriedigen · beffriedigen · befiredigen · befreidigen · befrideigen · befrieddigen · befriedgien · befriediegn
- Befriedigung ← bbefriedigung · beffriedigung · befiredigung · befreidigung · befrideigung · befrieddigung · befriedgiung · befriediggung
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "befriedigen" and "Befriedigung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "befriedigen" or "Befriedigung" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "befriedigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Befriedigung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,726,836 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befriedigen" and "Befriedigung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befriedigend vs Befriedigung". 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 #1,726,836 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.