Which to use
“belästigen” and “bewältigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,929
- “belästigen” frequency rank
- #8,182
- “bewältigen” frequency rank
- 25111
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | belästigen | bewältigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden aktiv stören und bei demjenigen ein Unwohlsein erzeugen | eine mühsame Arbeit hinter sich bringen, damit fertig werden |
Where the eye mixes belästigen and bewältigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. belästigen and bewältigen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: belästigen vs bewältigen
A purely visual mix-up. belästigen ([bəˈlɛstɪɡn̩]) and bewältigen ([bəˈvɛltɪɡn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25111, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
belästigen is recorded at frequency rank #16,929, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈlɛstɪɡn̩]. bewältigen is at rank #8,182, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈvɛltɪɡn̩].
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 25111, this pair ranks #1,838,003 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of belästigen vs bewältigen
Shared letters: begilntä. Private to "belästigen": s. Private to "bewältigen": w.
"belästigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC · "bewältigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "belästigen" and "bewältigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "belästigen" vs "bewältigen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "belästigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bewältigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,838,003 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "belästigen" and "bewältigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "belasteten vs belästigen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,838,003 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.