Which to use
“entbehren” and “entnehmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,745
- “entbehren” frequency rank
- #7,310
- “entnehmen” frequency rank
- 43055
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entbehren | entnehmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Nichtvorhandensein einer Person beziehungsweise einer Sache als persönlichen Mangel empfindend erdulden müssen | etwas herausnehmen aus etwas |
Where the eye mixes entbehren and entnehmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. entbehren and entnehmen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: entbehren vs entnehmen
A purely visual mix-up. entbehren ([ɛntˈbeːʁən]) and entnehmen ([ɛntˈneːmən]) 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 43055, 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]. entnehmen is at rank #7,310, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈneːmən].
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 43055, this pair ranks #1,430,005 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entbehren vs entnehmen
Shared letters: ehnt. Private to "entbehren": br. Private to "entnehmen": m.
"entbehren" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "entnehmen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "entbehren" for "entnehmen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "entbehren" or "entnehmen"?
What to do next
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 "entnehmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,430,005 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entbehren" and "entnehmen" 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 #1,430,005 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.