Which to use
“belügen” and “bemühen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,957
- “belügen” frequency rank
- #6,041
- “bemühen” frequency rank
- 37998
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | belügen | bemühen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem eine Unwahrheit erzählen, bewusst Lügen verbreiten | sich Mühe geben, sich anstrengen |
Where the eye mixes belügen and bemühen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: belügen vs bemühen
A purely visual mix-up. belügen ([bəˈlyːɡn̩]) and bemühen ([bəˈmyːən]) 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 37998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
belügen is recorded at frequency rank #31,957, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈlyːɡn̩]. bemühen is at rank #6,041, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈmyːən].
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 37998, this pair ranks #1,575,571 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of belügen vs bemühen
Shared letters: benü. Private to "belügen": gl. Private to "bemühen": hm.
"belügen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "bemühen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "belügen" for "bemühen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "belügen" or "bemühen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "belügen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bemühen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,575,571 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "belügen" and "bemühen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "belügen vs Blusen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,575,571 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.