befristetvsbefristetenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#19,510
“befristet” frequency rank
#31,456
“befristeten” frequency rank
50966
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature befristet befristeten
Definition zeitlich begrenzt Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befristet

Where the eye mixes befristet and befristeten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. befristet runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against befristeten's 11 (CVCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
befristet
11 ch
befristeten

Visual trap between befristet and befristeten

A purely visual mix-up. befristet ([bəˈfʁɪstət]) and befristeten ([bəˈfʁɪstətn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “befristet” sits inside “befristeten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

befristet is recorded at frequency rank #19,510, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfʁɪstət]. befristeten is at rank #31,456, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfʁɪstətn̩].

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 50966, this pair ranks #1,153,640 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of befristet vs befristeten

Shared letters: befirst. Private to "befristet": -. Private to "befristeten": n.

"befristet" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "befristeten" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • befristet ← bbefristet · beffristet · befirstet · befrisett · befrisstet · befristett · befristte · befristtet
  • befristeten ← bbefristeten · beffristeten · befirsteten · befrisetten · befrissteten · befristeetn · befristetenn · befristetne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "befristet" and "befristeten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈfʁɪstət] versus [bəˈfʁɪstətn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "befristet" vs "befristeten" - which ranks higher?
"befristet" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,510 in our German list, against #31,456 for "befristeten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "befristet" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "befristeten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,153,640 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "befristet" and "befristeten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befristete vs befristeten". 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 #1,153,640 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