Which to use
“bedecken” and “bemerken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,182
- “bedecken” frequency rank
- #8,838
- “bemerken” frequency rank
- 30020
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bedecken | bemerken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas über etwas/jemanden legen (oft zum Schutze vor zum Beispiel Kälte oder Blicken) | zu Bewusstsein kommen; etwas wahrnehmen |
Where the eye mixes bedecken and bemerken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. bedecken and bemerken follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses bedecken with bemerken
A purely visual mix-up. bedecken ([bəˈdɛkn̩]) and bemerken ([bəˈmɛʁkn̩]) 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 30020, 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]. bemerken is at rank #8,838, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈmɛʁkn̩].
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 30020, this pair ranks #1,755,906 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bedecken vs bemerken
Shared letters: bekn. Private to "bedecken": cd. Private to "bemerken": mr.
"bedecken" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "bemerken" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bedecken" and "bemerken" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bedecken" or "bemerken"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bedecken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bemerken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,755,906 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bedecken" and "bemerken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bedecken vs bedeckten". 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 #1,755,906 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.