bemalenvsberatenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,066
“bemalen” frequency rank
#4,024
“beraten” frequency rank
45090
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bemalen beraten
Definition mit Malereien verzieren, dekorieren einen Vorschlag dazu machen, was eine Person tun oder lassen kann

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
bemalen
7 ch
beraten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bemalen ([bəˈmaːlən]) and beraten ([bəˈʁaːtn̩]) 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 45090, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bemalen is recorded at frequency rank #41,066, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈmaːlən]. beraten is at rank #4,024, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʁaːtn̩].

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 45090, this pair ranks #1,364,825 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bemalen vs beraten

Shared letters: aben. Private to "bemalen": lm. Private to "beraten": rt.

"bemalen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "beraten" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bemalenbbemalen · beamlen · bemaeln · bemalenn · bemallen · bemalne · bemlaen · bemmalen
  • beratenbberaten · bearten · beraetn · beratenn · beratne · beratten · berraten · bertaen

Frequency comparison

bemalen#41,066
beraten#4,024

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bemalen" and "beraten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈmaːlən] versus [bəˈʁaːtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bemalen" or "beraten"?
"beraten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,024 in our German list, against #41,066 for "bemalen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering bemalen vs beraten

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 “bemalen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list