Which to use
“befestigt” is a verb and “befestigten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,578
- “befestigt” frequency rank
- #26,776
- “befestigten” frequency rank
- 34354
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befestigt | befestigten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs befestigen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befestigt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set befestigt and befestigten apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: befestigt is [bəˈfɛstɪçt] while befestigten is [bəˈfɛstɪçtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “befestigt” sits inside “befestigten”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34354, 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]. befestigten is at rank #26,776, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfɛstɪçtn̩].
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 34354, this pair ranks #1,665,216 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befestigt vs befestigten
Shared letters: befgist. Private to "befestigt": -. Private to "befestigten": n.
"befestigt" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC · "befestigten" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- befestigt ← bbefestigt · beefstigt · befesitgt · befesstigt · befestgit · befestiggt · befestigtt · befestitg
- befestigten ← bbefestigten · beefstigten · befesitgten · befesstigten · befestgiten · befestigetn · befestiggten · befestigtenn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "befestigt" and "befestigten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "befestigt" or "befestigten"?
Remembering befestigt vs befestigten
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 “befestigten”.
- 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