Which to use
“backen” and “bauten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,274
- “backen” frequency rank
- #5,801
- “bauten” frequency rank
- 12075
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | backen | bauten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | im Ofen erhitzen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bauen |
Where the eye mixes backen and bauten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between backen and bauten
A purely visual mix-up. backen ([ˈbakn̩]) and bauten ([ˈbaʊ̯tn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
backen is recorded at frequency rank #6,274, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbakn̩]. bauten is at rank #5,801, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbaʊ̯tn̩].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 12075, this pair ranks #1,966,313 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of backen vs bauten
Shared letters: aben. Private to "backen": ck. Private to "bauten": tu.
"backen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "bauten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "backen" for "bauten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "backen" or "bauten" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "backen" and "bauten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "backen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bauten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,313 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "backen" and "bauten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bauten vs Blusen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,966,313 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.