befristen

[bəˈfʁɪstn̩]

/[bəˈfʁɪstn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“befristen” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - etwas zeitlich begrenzen

Corpus desk

Index DE-befristen · befristen · German

befristen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for befristen
PropertyValue
Headwordbefristen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[bəˈfʁɪstn̩]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „befristen“ im Deutschen

befristensitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

befristen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [bəˈfʁɪstn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "etwas zeitlich begrenzen".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for befristen, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is befristen, spelled B-E-F-R-I-S-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas zeitlich begrenzen

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Ich befriste meinen Aufenthalt auf zwei Monate.

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "befristen"?
"befristen" is spelled B-E-F-R-I-S-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [bəˈfʁɪstn̩].
What does "befristen" mean?
As a verb, "befristen" means: etwas zeitlich begrenzen
How do you pronounce "befristen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "befristen" is [bəˈfʁɪstn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "befristen" come from?
"befristen" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list