Which to use
“bedeuten” and “bedeuteten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,487
- “bedeuten” frequency rank
- #32,942
- “bedeuteten” frequency rank
- 35429
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bedeuten | bedeuteten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas heißen, etwas bezeichnen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bedeuten |
Where the eye mixes bedeuten and bedeuteten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. bedeuten runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against bedeuteten's 10 (CVCVVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: bedeuten vs bedeuteten
A purely visual mix-up. bedeuten ([bəˈdɔɪ̯tn̩]) and bedeuteten ([bəˈdɔɪ̯tətn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35429, 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]. bedeuteten is at rank #32,942, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈdɔɪ̯tətn̩].
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 35429, this pair ranks #1,640,212 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bedeuten vs bedeuteten
Shared letters: bdentu. Private to "bedeuten": -. Private to "bedeuteten": -.
"bedeuten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "bedeuteten" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- bedeuten ← bbedeuten · bdeeuten · beddeuten · bedetuen · bedeuetn · bedeutenn · bedeutne · bedeutten
- bedeuteten ← bbedeuteten · bdeeuteten · beddeuteten · bedetueten · bedeuetten · bedeuteetn · bedeutetenn · bedeutetne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bedeuten" for "bedeuteten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "bedeuten" or "bedeuteten"?
Useful next steps
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 "bedeuteten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,640,212 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bedeuten" and "bedeuteten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bedeuteten vs bewerteten". 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 #1,640,212 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.