belügenvsbergenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,957
“belügen” frequency rank
#3,944
“bergen” frequency rank
35901
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature belügen bergen
Definition jemandem eine Unwahrheit erzählen, bewusst Lügen verbreiten transitiv:

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set belügen and bergen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
belügen
6 ch
bergen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. belügen ([bəˈlyːɡn̩]) and bergen ([ˈbɛʁɡn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35901, 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]. bergen is at rank #3,944, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbɛʁɡn̩].

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 35901, this pair ranks #1,628,775 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of belügen vs bergen

Shared letters: begn. Private to "belügen": . Private to "bergen": r.

"belügen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "bergen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bergenbbergen · begren · beregn · bergenn · berggen · bergne · berrgen · bregen

Frequency comparison

belügen#31,957
bergen#3,944

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "belügen" and "bergen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈlyːɡn̩] versus [ˈbɛʁɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "belügen" or "bergen"?
"bergen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,944 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 belügen vs bergen

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 “belügen” 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