Which to use
“behalten” and “bemalen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,017
- “behalten” frequency rank
- #41,066
- “bemalen” frequency rank
- 43083
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | behalten | bemalen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | im Besitz einer Sache bleiben | mit Malereien verzieren, dekorieren |
Where the eye mixes behalten and bemalen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. behalten runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against bemalen's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: behalten vs bemalen
A purely visual mix-up. behalten ([bəˈhaltn̩]) and bemalen ([bəˈmaːlən]) 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 43083, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
behalten is recorded at frequency rank #2,017, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈhaltn̩]. bemalen is at rank #41,066, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈmaːlən].
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 43083, this pair ranks #1,429,149 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of behalten vs bemalen
Shared letters: abeln. Private to "behalten": ht. Private to "bemalen": m.
"behalten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "bemalen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "behalten" for "bemalen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "behalten" vs "bemalen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "behalten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bemalen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,429,149 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "behalten" and "bemalen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "banalen vs bemalen". 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 #1,429,149 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.