Which to use
“bearbeiten” is a verb and “bearbeitete” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,577
- “bearbeiten” frequency rank
- #23,040
- “bearbeitete” frequency rank
- 30617
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bearbeiten | bearbeitete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Sache prüfend befinden und zum Beispiel gutheißen oder ablehnen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs bearbeitet |
Where the eye mixes bearbeiten and bearbeitete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. bearbeiten runs 10 letters (CVVCCVVCVC) against bearbeitete's 11 (CVVCCVVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: bearbeiten vs bearbeitete
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bearbeiten is [bəˈʔaʁbaɪ̯tn̩] while bearbeitete is [bəˈʔaʁbaɪ̯tətə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30617, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bearbeiten is recorded at frequency rank #7,577, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʔaʁbaɪ̯tn̩]. bearbeitete is at rank #23,040, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈʔaʁbaɪ̯tətə].
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 30617, this pair ranks #1,744,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bearbeiten vs bearbeitete
Shared letters: abeirt. Private to "bearbeiten": n. Private to "bearbeitete": -.
"bearbeiten" · 10 letters · shape CVVCCVVCVC · "bearbeitete" · 11 letters · shape CVVCCVVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- bearbeiten ← baerbeiten · bbearbeiten · beabreiten · bearbbeiten · bearbeietn · bearbeitenn · bearbeitne · bearbeitten
- bearbeitete ← baerbeitete · bbearbeitete · beabreitete · bearbbeitete · bearbeiette · bearbeiteet · bearbeitette · bearbeittee
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bearbeiten" for "bearbeitete" ever safe?
Which is more common, "bearbeiten" or "bearbeitete"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bearbeiten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bearbeitete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,744,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bearbeiten" and "bearbeitete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bearbeite vs bearbeitete". 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 #1,744,347 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.