Befähigung

[bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ]

/[bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ]/ noun

The verdict

“Befähigung” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #35,656 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#35,656
frequency rank, German
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) — das Befähigtsein, die Eignung für eine bestimmte Aufgabe

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Befähigung vs Betätigung
80% similar
Befähigung vs Beruhigung
80% similar
Befähigung vs befähigen
70% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Befähigung
PropertyValue
HeadwordBefähigung
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ]
Letters10
Frequency rank#35,656
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Befähigung” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Befähigung lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Befähigung is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ]. Corpus data places it at rank #35,656 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "das Befähigtsein, die Eignung für eine bestimmte Aufgabe".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for Befähigung, with forms such as "bbefähigung", "beffähigung", and "befhäigung". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Betätigung", "Beruhigung", "befähigen", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct German form is Befähigung, spelled B-E-F-Ä-H-I-G-U-N-G, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    das Befähigtsein, die Eignung für eine bestimmte Aufgabe

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbefähigung,beffähigung,befhäigung,befähgiung,befähhigung,befähiggung,befähignug,befähigugn,befähigungg,befähigunng,befähiugng,befäihgung,beäfhigung,bfeähigung,ebfähigung

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Befähigung - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "Befähigung"

bbefähigung1beffähigung1befhäigung2befähgiung2befähhigung1befähiggung1befähignug2befähigugn2
Edit distance from "Befähigung"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “Befähigung, German word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/de/wort/befahigung

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Befähigung"?
"Befähigung" is spelled B-E-F-Ä-H-I-G-U-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is [bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ].
What does "Befähigung" mean?
As a noun, "Befähigung" means: das Befähigtsein, die Eignung für eine bestimmte Aufgabe
What words are commonly confused with "Befähigung"?
"Befähigung" is commonly confused with "Betätigung", "Beruhigung", "befähigen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Befähigung"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Befähigung" is [bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Befähigung" come from?
"Befähigung" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Befähigung”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is B-E-F-Ä-H-I-G-U-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [bəˈfɛːɪɡʊŋ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Betätigung” - see the side-by-side comparison. Befähigung vs Betätigung
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Nearby German words

Other entries that begin with the letter B in our German index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list