befassen

[bəˈfasn̩]

/[bəˈfasn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“befassen” has 11 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #7,441. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,441
frequency rank, German
5,818
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - sich mit etwas stark auseinandersetzen/beschäftigen

Corpus desk

Index DE-befassen · befassen · German

befassen · rank #7,441 · 11 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,441
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,818
  • PHOTO-FINISH Begleiter

Nearest frequency peer: Begleiter (+1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “befassen”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “befassen” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

befassen vs befasst
75% similar
befassen vs blassen
75% similar
befassen vs belasten
75% similar

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

Key facts for befassen
PropertyValue
Headwordbefassen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[bəˈfasn̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,441
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “befassen” 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). befassen lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around befassen (IPA [bəˈfasn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,441 among 5,818 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for befassen, with forms such as "bbefassen", "beafssen", and "befasen". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "befasst", "blassen", "belasten", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is befassen, spelled B-E-F-A-S-S-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    sich mit etwas stark auseinandersetzen/beschäftigen
  2. 2
    jemanden die Aufgabe übertragen, sich mit etwas Bestimmtem auseinandersetzen
  3. 3
    berühren, betasten

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how befassen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Der berühmte Naturforscher befasste sich Jahre lang mit Bäumen.
  2. „Als Arztsohn mit Interesse an Mathematik und Statistik hatte er sich eingehend mit Daten zum individuellen Körperbau befasst.“

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbefassen
  • beafssen
  • befasen
  • befasesn
  • befassenn
  • befassne
  • befaßen
  • beffassen
  • befsasen
  • bfeassen
  • ebfassen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of befassen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbefassen1beafssen2befasen1befasesn2befassenn1befassne2befaßen2beffassen1
Edit distance from "befassen"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "befassen"?
"befassen" is spelled B-E-F-A-S-S-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [bəˈfasn̩].
What does "befassen" mean?
As a verb, "befassen" means: sich mit etwas stark auseinandersetzen/beschäftigen
What words are commonly confused with "befassen"?
"befassen" is commonly confused with "befasst", "blassen", "belasten". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "befassen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "befassen" is [bəˈfasn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "befassen" come from?
"befassen" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "befassen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

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