behindernvsBehinderungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: behindern is a verb, Behinderung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“behindern” is a verb and “Behinderung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,017
“behindern” frequency rank
#5,914
“Behinderung” frequency rank
19931
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature behindern Behinderung
Definition stören, an etwas hindern, von etwas abhalten körperliche oder psychische Funktionsstörung einer Person, so dass sie von dem für das Lebensalter typischen Zustand abweicht und daher ihre Teilhabe am Leben der Gesellschaft beeinträchtigt ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set behindern and Behinderung apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
behindern
11 ch
Behinderung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

behindern and Behinderung form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19931, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

behindern is recorded at frequency rank #14,017, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈhɪndɐn]. Behinderung is at rank #5,914, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈhɪndəʁʊŋ].

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 19931, this pair ranks #1,903,099 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

behindern#14,017
Behinderung#5,914

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "behindern" and "Behinderung" be used interchangeably?
No, "behindern" and "Behinderung" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering behindern vs Behinderung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “behindern”; for a noun, it's “Behinderung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “behindern” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list