befestigen
[bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]
The verdict
“befestigen” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #19,509 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #19,509
- frequency rank, German
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - an etwas fest anbringen
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | befestigen |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩] |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #19,509 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “befestigen” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for befestigen is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #19,509 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1an etwas fest anbringen
- 2einer Sache durch geeignete Maßnahmen Festigkeit verleihen und dadurch so haltbar und stabil machen, dass sie Belastungen standhält
- 3beständig machen; wirkungsvoller machen
- 4fester, stärker werden; stabil/stabiler werden
- 5etwas mit errichteten oder ausgebauten Verteidigungsanlagen (Befestigungen, Schanzen) gegen Angriffe sichern
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "befestigen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "befestigen"?
How do you pronounce "befestigen"?
What language does "befestigen" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “befestigen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is B-E-F-E-S-T-I-G-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “befestigt” - see the side-by-side comparison. befestigen vs befestigt
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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.