befestigen

[bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]

/[bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“befestigen” has 15 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #19,509. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,509
frequency rank, German
5,818
“B” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - an etwas fest anbringen

Corpus desk

Index DE-befestigen · befestigen · German

befestigen · rank #19,509 · 15 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,509
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,818
  • PHOTO-FINISH Beeinträchtig…

Nearest frequency peer: Beeinträchtigungen (-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.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „befestigen“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „befestigen“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

befestigen vs befestigt
80% similar
befestigen vs beseitigen
80% similar
befestigen vs belästigen
80% similar

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

Key facts for befestigen
PropertyValue
Headwordbefestigen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]
Letters10
Frequency rank#19,509
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „befestigen“

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).befestigenliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Beeinträchtigungen“ (#19,508), „befristet“ (#19,510), „Beeinflussung“ (#19,507). Unter 5,818 „B“-Lemmata liegt „befestigen“ bei #19,509. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around befestigen (IPA [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #19,509 among 5,818 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for befestigen, with forms such as "bbefestigen", "beefstigen", and "befesitgen". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "befestigt", "beseitigen", "belästigen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is befestigen, spelled B-E-F-E-S-T-I-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    an etwas fest anbringen
  2. 2
    einer Sache durch geeignete Maßnahmen Festigkeit verleihen und dadurch so haltbar und stabil machen, dass sie Belastungen standhält
  3. 3
    beständig machen; wirkungsvoller machen
  4. 4
    fester, stärker werden; stabil/stabiler werden
  5. 5
    etwas mit errichteten oder ausgebauten Verteidigungsanlagen (Befestigungen, Schanzen) gegen Angriffe sichern

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ich befestige jetzt das Bild an der Wand.
  2. „Maria wollte an jener Messingstange über dem Ladentisch, an der Würste und Speck hingen, einige Papierschlangen, auch zwei Clownsmasken und Knollennasen befestigen.“

Synonyms

befestenfortifizierenverschanzen

Antonyms

abmontierenabnehmenloslösenabmachenlosmachenschwächenuntergrabenunterminierenabschwächendestabilisierenschwächenwankenwackelnbesetzeneinnehmenerobernüberrennenüberrollenokkupierensich bemächtigeninvadierennehmenstürmenaufgebenkapitulierendie Waffen streckendas Handtuch werfendie Flinte ins Korn werfen

This word in other languages

affix(English)fijar(Español)attacher(Français)fixar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbefestigen
  • beefstigen
  • befesitgen
  • befesstigen
  • befestgien
  • befestiegn
  • befestigenn
  • befestiggen
  • befestigne
  • befesttigen
  • befetsigen
  • beffestigen
  • befsetigen
  • bfeestigen
  • ebfestigen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of befestigen - 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.

bbefestigen1beefstigen2befesitgen2befesstigen1befestgien2befestiegn2befestigenn1befestiggen1
Edit distance from "befestigen"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "befestigen"?
"befestigen" is spelled B-E-F-E-S-T-I-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩].
What does "befestigen" mean?
As a verb, "befestigen" means: an etwas fest anbringen
What words are commonly confused with "befestigen"?
"befestigen" is commonly confused with "befestigt", "beseitigen", "belästigen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "befestigen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "befestigen" is [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "befestigen" come from?
"befestigen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "befestigen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

beheimatet#19,513Avantgarde#19,502auszusehen#19,501ausbrechen#19,496

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

downloaden15 variantsElektriker15 variantsWuppertaler15 variantsFahrenheit15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list