entbehrtvsentleertWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,077
“entbehrt” frequency rank
#41,777
“entleert” frequency rank
79854
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entbehrt entleert
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entbehren Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entleeren

Where the eye mixes entbehrt and entleert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. entbehrt (VCCCVCCC) and entleert (VCCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
entbehrt
8 ch
entleert

Look-alike desk: entbehrt vs entleert

A purely visual mix-up. entbehrt ([ɛntˈbeːɐ̯t]) and entleert ([ɛntˈleːɐ̯t]) 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 79854, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entbehrt is recorded at frequency rank #38,077, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈbeːɐ̯t]. entleert is at rank #41,777, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈleːɐ̯t].

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 79854, this pair ranks #207,642 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of entbehrt vs entleert

Shared letters: enrt. Private to "entbehrt": bh. Private to "entleert": l.

"entbehrt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC  ·  "entleert" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entbehrt ← enbtehrt · enntbehrt · entbbehrt · entbehhrt · entbehrrt · entbehrtt · entbehtr · entberht
  • entleert ← enlteert · enntleert · entelert · entleerrt · entleertt · entleetr · entleret · entlert

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "entbehrt" for "entleert" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈbeːɐ̯t] versus [ɛntˈleːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "entbehrt" vs "entleert" - which ranks higher?
"entbehrt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,077 in our German list, against #41,777 for "entleert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "entbehrt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entleert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #207,642 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entbehrt" and "entleert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entleeren vs entleert". 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 #207,642 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list