bedeckenvsbemerkenWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bedecken and bemerken apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
bedecken
8 ch
bemerken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • bedeckenbbedecken · bdeecken · bedceken · beddecken · bedeccken · bedecekn · bedeckenn · bedeckken
  • bemerkenbbemerken · beemrken · bemekren · bemerekn · bemerkenn · bemerkken · bemerkne · bemerrken

Frequency comparison

bedecken#21,182
bemerken#8,838

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bedecken" and "bemerken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈdɛkn̩] versus [bəˈmɛʁkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bedecken" or "bemerken"?
"bemerken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,838 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 bemerken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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