begleichenvsbegleitenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,840
“begleichen” frequency rank
#4,023
“begleiten” frequency rank
23863
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature begleichen begleiten
Definition einer finanziellen Forderung nachkommen, einen geschuldeten Betrag entrichten jemandem Geleit geben; mit jemandem mitgehen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set begleichen and begleiten apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
begleichen
9 ch
begleiten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. begleichen ([bəˈɡlaɪ̯çn̩]) and begleiten ([bəˈɡlaɪ̯tn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

begleichen is recorded at frequency rank #19,840, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈɡlaɪ̯çn̩]. begleiten is at rank #4,023, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈɡlaɪ̯tn̩].

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 23863, this pair ranks #1,855,600 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of begleichen vs begleiten

Shared letters: begiln. Private to "begleichen": ch. Private to "begleiten": t.

"begleichen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCCVC  ·  "begleiten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • begleichenbbegleichen · begelichen · beggleichen · beglecihen · begleicchen · begleicehn · begleichenn · begleichhen
  • begleitenbbegleiten · begeliten · beggleiten · begleietn · begleitenn · begleitne · begleitten · begletien

Frequency comparison

begleichen#19,840
begleiten#4,023

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "begleichen" and "begleiten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈɡlaɪ̯çn̩] versus [bəˈɡlaɪ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "begleichen" or "begleiten"?
"begleiten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,023 in our German list, against #19,840 for "begleichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering begleichen vs begleiten

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 “begleichen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list