BelästigungvsBelastungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,307
“Belästigung” frequency rank
#4,328
“Belastung” frequency rank
19635
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Belästigung Belastung
Definition nachhaltiges Einwirken auf Personen, was als unangenehm empfunden wird eine Beanspruchung, die Schaden verursachen kann

Where the eye mixes Belästigung and Belastung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Belästigung runs 11 letters (CVCVCCVCVCC) against Belastung's 9 (CVCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
Belästigung
9 ch
Belastung

Visual trap between Belästigung and Belastung

A purely visual mix-up. Belästigung ([bəˈlɛstɪɡʊŋ]) and Belastung ([bəˈlastʊŋ]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19635, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Belästigung is recorded at frequency rank #15,307, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈlɛstɪɡʊŋ]. Belastung is at rank #4,328, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈlastʊŋ].

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 19635, this pair ranks #1,906,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Belästigung vs Belastung

Shared letters: beglnstu. Private to "Belästigung": iä. Private to "Belastung": a.

"Belästigung" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVCC  ·  "Belastung" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Belastung ← bbelastung · bealstung · belasstung · belastnug · belasttung · belastugn · belastungg · belastunng

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Belästigung" and "Belastung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈlɛstɪɡʊŋ] versus [bəˈlastʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Belästigung" or "Belastung"?
"Belastung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,328 in our German list, against #15,307 for "Belästigung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Belästigung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Belastung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,906,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Belästigung" and "Belastung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Belästigung vs Belustigung". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,906,231 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