billigenvsBilligungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: billigen is a verb, Billigung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“billigen” is a verb and “Billigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,338
“billigen” frequency rank
#41,080
“Billigung” frequency rank
50418
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature billigen Billigung
Definition etwas befürworten, begrüßen, gutheißen zustimmende Haltung gegenüber einem Verhalten; Einverständnis

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set billigen and Billigung apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
billigen
9 ch
Billigung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: billigen is [ˈbɪlɪɡn̩] while Billigung is [ˈbɪlɪɡʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50418, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

billigen is recorded at frequency rank #9,338, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbɪlɪɡn̩]. Billigung is at rank #41,080, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɪlɪɡʊŋ].

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 50418, this pair ranks #1,174,420 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of billigen vs Billigung

Shared letters: bgiln. Private to "billigen": e. Private to "Billigung": u.

"billigen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "Billigung" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • billigenbbilligen · biligen · bililgen · billgien · billiegn · billigenn · billiggen · billigne
  • Billigungbbilligung · biligung · bililgung · billgiung · billiggung · billignug · billigugn · billigungg

Frequency comparison

billigen#9,338
Billigung#41,080

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "billigen" and "Billigung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "billigen" is a verb and "Billigung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "billigen" or "Billigung"?
"billigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,338 in our German list, against #41,080 for "Billigung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering billigen vs Billigung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “billigen”; for a noun, it's “Billigung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “billigen” 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