BannvsbegannWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Bann is a noun, begann is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Bann” is a noun and “begann” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,152
“Bann” frequency rank
#1,346
“begann” frequency rank
10498
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Bann begann
Definition Ausweisung einer Person oder einer Gruppe aus einer Gemeinschaft, insbesondere aus der Kirche 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs beginnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Bann and begann apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Bann
6 ch
begann

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Bann is [ban] while begann is [bəˈɡan]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10498, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Bann is recorded at frequency rank #9,152, classified as anoun, pronounced [ban]. begann is at rank #1,346, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈɡan].

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 10498, this pair ranks #1,974,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Bann vs begann

Shared letters: abn. Private to "Bann": -. Private to "begann": eg.

"Bann" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "begann" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bannabnn · ban · bbann · bnan
  • begannbbegann · beagnn · began · beggann · begnan · bgeann · ebgann

Frequency comparison

Bann#9,152
begann#1,346

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Bann" and "begann" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Bann" is a noun and "begann" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Bann" or "begann"?
"begann" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,346 in our German list, against #9,152 for "Bann". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Bann vs begann

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Bann”; for a verb, it's “begann”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Bann” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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