Which to use
“bemalen” and “bezahlen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,066
- “bemalen” frequency rank
- #1,469
- “bezahlen” frequency rank
- 42535
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bemalen | bezahlen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit Malereien verzieren, dekorieren | jemandem für etwas einen bestimmten Geldbetrag geben |
Where the eye mixes bemalen and bezahlen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. bemalen runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against bezahlen's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between bemalen and bezahlen
A purely visual mix-up. bemalen ([bəˈmaːlən]) and bezahlen ([bəˈt͡saːlən]) 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 42535, 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]. bezahlen is at rank #1,469, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈt͡saːlən].
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 42535, this pair ranks #1,446,352 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bemalen vs bezahlen
Shared letters: abeln. Private to "bemalen": m. Private to "bezahlen": hz.
"bemalen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "bezahlen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bemalen" for "bezahlen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "bemalen" vs "bezahlen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bemalen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bezahlen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,446,352 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bemalen" and "bezahlen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "banalen vs bemalen". 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 #1,446,352 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.