befestigtvsbefestigteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: befestigt is a verb, befestigte is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“befestigt” is a verb and “befestigte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,578
“befestigt” frequency rank
#26,775
“befestigte” frequency rank
34353
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature befestigt befestigte
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs befestigen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befestigt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set befestigt and befestigte apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
befestigt
10 ch
befestigte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befestigt is [bəˈfɛstɪçt] while befestigte is [bəˈfɛstɪçtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “befestigt” sits inside “befestigte”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34353, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

befestigt is recorded at frequency rank #7,578, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfɛstɪçt]. 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 34353, this pair ranks #1,665,243 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of befestigt vs befestigte

Shared letters: befgist. Private to "befestigt": -. Private to "befestigte": -.

"befestigt" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC  ·  "befestigte" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • befestigtbbefestigt · beefstigt · befesitgt · befesstigt · befestgit · befestiggt · befestigtt · befestitg
  • befestigtebbefestigte · beefstigte · befesitgte · befesstigte · befestgite · befestiget · befestiggte · befestigtte

Frequency comparison

befestigt#7,578
befestigte#26,775

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "befestigt" and "befestigte" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "befestigt" is a verb and "befestigte" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "befestigt" or "befestigte"?
"befestigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,578 in our German list, against #26,775 for "befestigte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering befestigt vs befestigte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “befestigt”; for an adjective, it's “befestigte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “befestigt” 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