Which to use
“bestehen” and “bestiegen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,221
- “bestehen” frequency rank
- #30,475
- “bestiegen” frequency rank
- 31696
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bestehen | bestiegen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erfolgreich absolvieren | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs besteigen |
Where the eye mixes bestehen and bestiegen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. bestehen runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against bestiegen's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between bestehen and bestiegen
A purely visual mix-up. bestehen ([bəˈʃteːən]) and bestiegen ([bəˈʃtiːɡn̩]) 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 31696, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bestehen is recorded at frequency rank #1,221, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃteːən]. bestiegen is at rank #30,475, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtiːɡn̩].
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 31696, this pair ranks #1,722,966 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bestehen vs bestiegen
Shared letters: benst. Private to "bestehen": h. Private to "bestiegen": gi.
"bestehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "bestiegen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "bestehen" and "bestiegen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "bestehen" or "bestiegen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bestehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bestiegen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,722,966 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bestehen" and "bestiegen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bestiegen vs Bestien". 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 #1,722,966 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.