Which to use
“begehren” and “bewahren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,828
- “begehren” frequency rank
- #4,868
- “bewahren” frequency rank
- 23696
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | begehren | bewahren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach jemandem oder etwas großes (sexuelles) Verlangen haben, jemanden oder etwas sehr gern haben wollen | etwas Positives auch in einer schwierigen Situation beibehalten |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set begehren and bewahren apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. begehren ([bəˈɡeːʁən]) and bewahren ([bəˈvaːʁən]) 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 23696, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
begehren is recorded at frequency rank #18,828, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈɡeːʁən]. bewahren is at rank #4,868, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈvaːʁən].
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 23696, this pair ranks #1,857,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of begehren vs bewahren
Shared letters: behnr. Private to "begehren": g. Private to "bewahren": aw.
"begehren" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "bewahren" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "begehren" and "bewahren" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "begehren" or "bewahren"?
Remembering begehren vs bewahren
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “begehren” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable