Which to use
“entbehren” and “entführen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,745
- “entbehren” frequency rank
- #18,223
- “entführen” frequency rank
- 53968
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entbehren | entführen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Nichtvorhandensein einer Person beziehungsweise einer Sache als persönlichen Mangel empfindend erdulden müssen | jemanden (oder etwas in dem sich Personen befinden) heimlich oder gewaltsam wegbringen, verschleppen |
Where the eye mixes entbehren and entführen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. entbehren and entführen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses entbehren with entführen
A purely visual mix-up. entbehren ([ɛntˈbeːʁən]) and entführen ([ɛntˈfyːʁən]) 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 53968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entbehren is recorded at frequency rank #35,745, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈbeːʁən]. entführen is at rank #18,223, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈfyːʁən].
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 53968, this pair ranks #1,037,204 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entbehren vs entführen
Shared letters: ehnrt. Private to "entbehren": b. Private to "entführen": fü.
"entbehren" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "entführen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- entbehren ← enbtehren · enntbehren · entbbehren · entbehern · entbehhren · entbehrenn · entbehrne · entbehrren
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entbehren" and "entführen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "entbehren" or "entführen"?
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 "entbehren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "entführen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,037,204 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entbehren" and "entführen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entbehren vs entleeren". 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 #1,037,204 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.