Which to use
“bei” is a preposition and “bic” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29
- “bei” frequency rank
- #49,525
- “bic” frequency rank
- 49554
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bei | bic |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in unmittelbarer Nähe | Kugelschreiber |
Where the eye mixes bei and bic
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between bei and bic
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bei is [baɪ̯] while bic is [bik]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49554, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bei is recorded at frequency rank #29, classified as aprep, pronounced [baɪ̯]. bic is at rank #49,525, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bik].
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 49554, this pair ranks #1,207,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bei vs bic
Shared letters: bi. Private to "bei": e. Private to "bic": c.
"bei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "bic" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bei" and "bic" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "bei" vs "bic" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "bei" and "bic" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "bei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bic" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,207,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bei" and "bic" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bic vs Bims". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,207,098 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.