belegenvsbelügenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,101
“belegen” frequency rank
#31,957
“belügen” frequency rank
36058
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature belegen belügen
Definition den Beweis für etwas erbringen jemandem eine Unwahrheit erzählen, bewusst Lügen verbreiten

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
belegen
7 ch
belügen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. belegen ([bəˈleːɡn̩]) and belügen ([bəˈlyːɡn̩]) 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 a single letter - e in “belegen” becomes ü in “belügen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36058, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

belegen is recorded at frequency rank #4,101, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈleːɡn̩]. belügen is at rank #31,957, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈlyːɡn̩].

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 36058, this pair ranks #1,625,011 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of belegen vs belügen

Shared letters: begln. Private to "belegen": -. Private to "belügen": ü.

"belegen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "belügen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • belegenbbelegen · beelgen · beleegn · belegenn · beleggen · belegne · belgeen · bellegen

Frequency comparison

belegen#4,101
belügen#31,957

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "belegen" and "belügen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈleːɡn̩] versus [bəˈlyːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "belegen" or "belügen"?
"belegen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,101 in our German list, against #31,957 for "belügen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering belegen vs belügen

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 “belegen” 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