entbehrenvsentleerenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#35,745
“entbehren” frequency rank
#45,247
“entleeren” frequency rank
80992
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entbehren entleeren
Definition das Nichtvorhandensein einer Person beziehungsweise einer Sache als persönlichen Mangel empfindend erdulden müssen (vollständig) leer machen

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
entbehren
9 ch
entleeren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. entbehren ([ɛntˈbeːʁən]) and entleeren ([ɛntˈleːʁən]) 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 80992, 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]. entleeren is at rank #45,247, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈleːʁən].

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 80992, this pair ranks #184,490 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of entbehren vs entleeren

Shared letters: enrt. Private to "entbehren": bh. Private to "entleeren": l.

"entbehren" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "entleeren" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entbehrenenbtehren · enntbehren · entbbehren · entbehern · entbehhren · entbehrenn · entbehrne · entbehrren
  • entleerenenlteeren · enntleeren · enteleren · entleeern · entleerenn · entleerne · entleerren · entlereen

Frequency comparison

entbehren#35,745
entleeren#45,247

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entbehren" and "entleeren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈbeːʁən] versus [ɛntˈleːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entbehren" or "entleeren"?
"entbehren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,745 in our German list, against #45,247 for "entleeren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering entbehren vs entleeren

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 “entbehren” 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