Which to use
“bestehen” and “bestochen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,221
- “bestehen” frequency rank
- #41,702
- “bestochen” frequency rank
- 42923
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bestehen | bestochen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erfolgreich absolvieren | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bestechen |
Where the eye mixes bestehen and bestochen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between bestehen and bestochen
A purely visual mix-up. bestehen ([bəˈʃteːən]) and bestochen ([bəˈʃtɔxn̩]) 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 42923, 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]. bestochen is at rank #41,702, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɔxn̩].
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 42923, this pair ranks #1,434,210 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bestehen vs bestochen
Shared letters: behnst. Private to "bestehen": -. Private to "bestochen": co.
"bestehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "bestochen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bestehen" for "bestochen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "bestehen" vs "bestochen" - which ranks higher?
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 "bestochen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,434,210 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bestehen" and "bestochen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bestochen vs Bettchen". 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 #1,434,210 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.