BehördevsBehördenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,798
“Behörde” frequency rank
#2,051
“Behörden” frequency rank
5849
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Behörde Behörden
Definition Institution, die Aufgaben der öffentlichen Verwaltung wahrnimmt Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Behörde

Where the eye mixes Behörde and Behörden

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Behörde runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against Behörden's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Behörde
8 ch
Behörden

Visual trap between Behörde and Behörden

A purely visual mix-up. Behörde ([bəˈhøːɐ̯də]) and Behörden ([bəˈhøːɐ̯dn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Behörde” sits inside “Behörden”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5849, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Behörde is recorded at frequency rank #3,798, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈhøːɐ̯də]. Behörden is at rank #2,051, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈhøːɐ̯dn̩].

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 5849, this pair ranks #1,993,509 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Behörde vs Behörden

Shared letters: bdehrö. Private to "Behörde": -. Private to "Behörden": n.

"Behörde" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "Behörden" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Behörde" and "Behörden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈhøːɐ̯də] versus [bəˈhøːɐ̯dn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Behörde" vs "Behörden" - which ranks higher?
"Behörden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,051 in our German list, against #3,798 for "Behörde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Behörde" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Behörden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,993,509 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Behörde" and "Behörden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Behörde vs besorge". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,993,509 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list