bedeckenvsBedenkenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#21,182
“bedecken” frequency rank
#2,873
“Bedenken” frequency rank
24055
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bedecken Bedenken
Definition etwas über etwas/jemanden legen (oft zum Schutze vor zum Beispiel Kälte oder Blicken) das Erwägen von etwas, das Nachdenken über etwas

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bedecken and Bedenken apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
bedecken
8 ch
Bedenken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bedecken is [bəˈdɛkn̩] while Bedenken is [bəˈdɛŋkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - c in “bedecken” becomes n in “Bedenken”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24055, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bedecken is recorded at frequency rank #21,182, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈdɛkn̩]. Bedenken is at rank #2,873, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈdɛŋkn̩].

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 24055, this pair ranks #1,852,951 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bedecken vs Bedenken

Shared letters: bdekn. Private to "bedecken": c. Private to "Bedenken": -.

"bedecken" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "Bedenken" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bedeckenbbedecken · bdeecken · bedceken · beddecken · bedeccken · bedecekn · bedeckenn · bedeckken
  • Bedenkenbbedenken · bdeenken · beddenken · bedeknen · bedenekn · bedenkenn · bedenkken · bedenkne

Frequency comparison

bedecken#21,182
Bedenken#2,873

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bedecken" and "Bedenken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bedecken" is a verb and "Bedenken" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "bedecken" or "Bedenken"?
"Bedenken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,873 in our German list, against #21,182 for "bedecken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bedecken vs Bedenken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “bedecken”; for a noun, it's “Bedenken”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bedecken” 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