Which to use
“entbehren” and “entgehen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,745
- “entbehren” frequency rank
- #7,165
- “entgehen” frequency rank
- 42910
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entbehren | entgehen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Nichtvorhandensein einer Person beziehungsweise einer Sache als persönlichen Mangel empfindend erdulden müssen | von etwas Unerwünschtem nicht betroffen werden, etwas Unerwünschtes vermeiden |
Where the eye mixes entbehren and entgehen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. entbehren runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against entgehen's 8 (VCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses entbehren with entgehen
A purely visual mix-up. entbehren ([ɛntˈbeːʁən]) and entgehen ([ɛntˈɡeːən]) 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 42910, 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]. entgehen is at rank #7,165, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈɡeːən].
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 42910, this pair ranks #1,434,637 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entbehren vs entgehen
Shared letters: ehnt. Private to "entbehren": br. Private to "entgehen": g.
"entbehren" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "entgehen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "entbehren" for "entgehen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "entbehren" or "entgehen" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "entbehren" and "entgehen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "entbehren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "entgehen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,434,637 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entbehren" and "entgehen" 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 #1,434,637 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.