Which to use
“bedeuten” and “bedeutete” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,487
- “bedeuten” frequency rank
- #7,151
- “bedeutete” frequency rank
- 9638
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bedeuten | bedeutete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas heißen, etwas bezeichnen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bedeuten |
Where the eye mixes bedeuten and bedeutete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. bedeuten runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against bedeutete's 9 (CVCVVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: bedeuten vs bedeutete
A purely visual mix-up. bedeuten ([bəˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]) and bedeutete ([bəˈdɔɪ̯tətə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bedeuten is recorded at frequency rank #2,487, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]. bedeutete is at rank #7,151, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈdɔɪ̯tətə].
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 9638, this pair ranks #1,979,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bedeuten vs bedeutete
Shared letters: bdetu. Private to "bedeuten": n. Private to "bedeutete": -.
"bedeuten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "bedeutete" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bedeuten" for "bedeutete" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "bedeuten" or "bedeutete" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bedeuten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bedeutete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,979,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bedeuten" and "bedeutete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bedeutest vs bedeutete". 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 #1,979,014 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.