Which to use
“befürchten” is a verb and “befürchtete” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,013
- “befürchten” frequency rank
- #19,511
- “befürchtete” frequency rank
- 26524
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befürchten | befürchtete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der Ansicht sein, dass etwas Unangenehmes eintreten oder geschehen könnte | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befürchtet |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set befürchten and befürchtete 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: befürchten is [bəˈfʏʁçtn̩] while befürchtete is [bəˈfʏʁçtətə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
befürchten is recorded at frequency rank #7,013, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈfʏʁçtn̩]. befürchtete is at rank #19,511, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfʏʁçtətə].
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 26524, this pair ranks #1,816,711 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befürchten vs befürchtete
Shared letters: bcefhrtü. Private to "befürchten": n. Private to "befürchtete": -.
"befürchten" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVC · "befürchtete" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "befürchten" and "befürchtete" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "befürchten" or "befürchtete"?
Remembering befürchten vs befürchtete
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “befürchten”; for an adjective, it's “befürchtete”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “befürchten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable