bejahenvsbezahlenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,800
“bejahen” frequency rank
#1,469
“bezahlen” frequency rank
47269
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bejahen bezahlen
Definition seine Zustimmung geben; ja sagen jemandem für etwas einen bestimmten Geldbetrag geben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bejahen and bezahlen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
bejahen
8 ch
bezahlen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bejahen ([bəˈjaːən]) and bezahlen ([bəˈt͡saːlən]) 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 47269, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bejahen is recorded at frequency rank #45,800, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈjaːən]. bezahlen is at rank #1,469, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈt͡saːlən].

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 47269, this pair ranks #1,290,272 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bejahen vs bezahlen

Shared letters: abehn. Private to "bejahen": j. Private to "bezahlen": lz.

"bejahen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "bezahlen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bejahenbbejahen · beajhen · bejaehn · bejahenn · bejahhen · bejahne · bejhaen · bejjahen
  • bezahlenbbezahlen · beazhlen · bezaheln · bezahhlen · bezahlenn · bezahllen · bezahlne · bezalhen

Frequency comparison

bejahen#45,800
bezahlen#1,469

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bejahen" and "bezahlen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈjaːən] versus [bəˈt͡saːlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bejahen" or "bezahlen"?
"bezahlen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,469 in our German list, against #45,800 for "bejahen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering bejahen vs bezahlen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bejahen” 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