Which to use
“behalte” is a verb and “bemalten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,834
- “behalte” frequency rank
- #40,431
- “bemalten” frequency rank
- 56265
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | behalte | bemalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs behalten | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs bemalt |
Where the eye mixes behalte and bemalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses behalte with bemalten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: behalte is [bəˈhaltə] while bemalten is [bəˈmaːltn̩]. 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 56265, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
behalte is recorded at frequency rank #15,834, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈhaltə]. bemalten is at rank #40,431, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈmaːltn̩].
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 56265, this pair ranks #946,961 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of behalte vs bemalten
Shared letters: abelt. Private to "behalte": h. Private to "bemalten": mn.
"behalte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "bemalten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "behalte" and "bemalten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "behalte" or "bemalten" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "behalte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bemalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #946,961 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "behalte" and "bemalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "behaltet vs bemalten". 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 #946,961 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.