befremden

[bəˈfʁɛmdn̩]

/[bəˈfʁɛmdn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“befremden” is an uncommon German word, ranked #77,732 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#77,732
frequency rank, German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - in unangenehmer, fremdartiger Weise berühren oder verwundern

Key facts for befremden
PropertyValue
Headwordbefremden
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[bəˈfʁɛmdn̩]
Letters9
Frequency rank#77,732
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “befremden” 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). befremden 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 befremden is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [bəˈfʁɛmdn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #77,732 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "in unangenehmer, fremdartiger Weise berühren oder verwundern".

befremden has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is befremden, spelled B-E-F-R-E-M-D-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    in unangenehmer, fremdartiger Weise berühren oder verwundern

Synonyms

eigenartigmerkwürdigseltsamanmuten

This word in other languages

disconcert(English)extrañar(Español)déconcerter(Français)

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 "befremden"?
"befremden" is spelled B-E-F-R-E-M-D-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [bəˈfʁɛmdn̩].
What does "befremden" mean?
As a verb, "befremden" means: in unangenehmer, fremdartiger Weise berühren oder verwundern
How do you pronounce "befremden"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "befremden" is [bəˈfʁɛmdn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "befremden" come from?
"befremden" 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 “befremden”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is B-E-F-R-E-M-D-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [bəˈfʁɛmdn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

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

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