BelästigungenvsBelastungenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,164
“Belästigungen” frequency rank
#9,858
“Belastungen” frequency rank
55022
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Belästigungen Belastungen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Belästigung Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Belastung

Where the eye mixes Belästigungen and Belastungen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Belästigungen runs 13 letters (CVCVCCVCVCCVC) against Belastungen's 11 (CVCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
Belästigungen
11 ch
Belastungen

Why the eye confuses Belästigungen with Belastungen

A purely visual mix-up. Belästigungen ([bəˈlɛstɪɡʊŋən]) and Belastungen ([bəˈlastʊŋən]) 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 55022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Belästigungen is recorded at frequency rank #45,164, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈlɛstɪɡʊŋən]. Belastungen is at rank #9,858, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈlastʊŋən].

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 55022, this pair ranks #995,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Belästigungen vs Belastungen

Shared letters: beglnstu. Private to "Belästigungen": iä. Private to "Belastungen": a.

"Belästigungen" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVCCVC  ·  "Belastungen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Belastungen ← bbelastungen · bealstungen · belasstungen · belastnugen · belasttungen · belastugnen · belastunegn · belastungenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Belästigungen" for "Belastungen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈlɛstɪɡʊŋən] versus [bəˈlastʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Belästigungen" vs "Belastungen" - which ranks higher?
"Belastungen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,858 in our German list, against #45,164 for "Belästigungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Belästigungen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Belastungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #995,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Belästigungen" and "Belastungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Befestigungen vs Belästigungen". 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 #995,750 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