Which to use
“bestochen” and “bestohlen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,702
- “bestochen” frequency rank
- #37,402
- “bestohlen” frequency rank
- 79104
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bestochen | bestohlen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bestechen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bestehlen |
Where the eye mixes bestochen and bestohlen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. bestochen and bestohlen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses bestochen with bestohlen
A purely visual mix-up. bestochen ([bəˈʃtɔxn̩]) and bestohlen ([bəˈʃtoːlən]) 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 79104, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bestochen is recorded at frequency rank #41,702, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɔxn̩]. bestohlen is at rank #37,402, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtoːlən].
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 79104, this pair ranks #223,740 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bestochen vs bestohlen
Shared letters: behnost. Private to "bestochen": c. Private to "bestohlen": l.
"bestochen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "bestohlen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "bestochen" and "bestohlen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "bestochen" or "bestohlen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bestochen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bestohlen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #223,740 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bestochen" and "bestohlen" 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 #223,740 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.