entbehrtvsentlehntTell them apart

Which to use

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

#38,077
“entbehrt” frequency rank
#39,310
“entlehnt” frequency rank
77387
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entbehrt entlehnt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entbehren Partizip Perfekt des Verbs entlehnen

Where the eye mixes entbehrt and entlehnt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. entbehrt and entlehnt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
entbehrt
8 ch
entlehnt

Visual trap between entbehrt and entlehnt

A purely visual mix-up. entbehrt ([ɛntˈbeːɐ̯t]) and entlehnt ([ɛntˈleːnt]) 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 77387, 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]. entlehnt is at rank #39,310, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈleːnt].

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 77387, this pair ranks #261,860 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of entbehrt vs entlehnt

Shared letters: ehnt. Private to "entbehrt": br. Private to "entlehnt": l.

"entbehrt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC  ·  "entlehnt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entbehrt ← enbtehrt · enntbehrt · entbbehrt · entbehhrt · entbehrrt · entbehrtt · entbehtr · entberht
  • entlehnt ← enltehnt · enntlehnt · entelhnt · entlehhnt · entlehnnt · entlehntt · entlehtn · entlenht

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entbehrt" and "entlehnt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈbeːɐ̯t] versus [ɛntˈleːnt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entbehrt" or "entlehnt"?
"entbehrt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,077 in our German list, against #39,310 for "entlehnt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "entbehrt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "entlehnt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #261,860 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "entbehrt" and "entlehnt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entleert vs entlehnt". 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 #261,860 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