Which to use
“befestigen” is a verb and “befestigte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,509
- “befestigen” frequency rank
- #26,775
- “befestigte” frequency rank
- 46284
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befestigen | befestigte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an etwas fest anbringen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befestigt |
Where the eye mixes befestigen and befestigte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. befestigen (CVCVCCVCVC) and befestigte (CVCVCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses befestigen with befestigte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befestigen is [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩] while befestigte is [bəˈfɛstɪçtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46284, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befestigen is recorded at frequency rank #19,509, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfɛstɪɡn̩]. befestigte is at rank #26,775, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfɛstɪçtə].
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 46284, this pair ranks #1,324,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of befestigen vs befestigte
Shared letters: befgist. Private to "befestigen": n. Private to "befestigte": -.
"befestigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC · "befestigte" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- befestigen ← bbefestigen · beefstigen · befesitgen · befesstigen · befestgien · befestiegn · befestigenn · befestiggen
- befestigte ← bbefestigte · beefstigte · befesitgte · befesstigte · befestgite · befestiget · befestiggte · befestigtte
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "befestigen" for "befestigte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "befestigen" or "befestigte"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "befestigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "befestigte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,324,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "befestigen" and "befestigte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befestigte vs befestigten". 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 #1,324,414 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.