bestehenvsbeziehenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,221
“bestehen” frequency rank
#3,176
“beziehen” frequency rank
4397
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bestehen beziehen
Definition erfolgreich absolvieren irgendwo einziehen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bestehen and beziehen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
bestehen
8 ch
beziehen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bestehen ([bəˈʃteːən]) and beziehen ([bəˈt͡siːən]) 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 4397, 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]. beziehen is at rank #3,176, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈt͡siːən].

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 4397, this pair ranks #1,997,821 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bestehen vs beziehen

Shared letters: behn. Private to "bestehen": st. Private to "beziehen": iz.

"bestehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "beziehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bestehenbbestehen · besethen · besstehen · besteehn · bestehenn · bestehhen · bestehne · bestheen
  • beziehenbbeziehen · beizehen · bezeihen · bezieehn · beziehenn · beziehhen · beziehne · beziheen

Frequency comparison

bestehen#1,221
beziehen#3,176

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bestehen" and "beziehen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈʃteːən] versus [bəˈt͡siːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bestehen" or "beziehen"?
"bestehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,221 in our German list, against #3,176 for "beziehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bestehen vs beziehen

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 “bestehen” 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