Which to use
“befürchten” is a verb and “befürchteten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,013
- “befürchten” frequency rank
- #32,943
- “befürchteten” frequency rank
- 39956
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | befürchten | befürchteten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der Ansicht sein, dass etwas Unangenehmes eintreten oder geschehen könnte | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs befürchtet |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set befürchten and befürchteten apart are highlighted. They share 10 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 befürchteten is [bəˈfʏʁçtətn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 39956, 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]. befürchteten is at rank #32,943, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈfʏʁçtətn̩].
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 39956, this pair ranks #1,522,123 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of befürchten vs befürchteten
Shared letters: bcefhnrtü. Private to "befürchten": -. Private to "befürchteten": -.
"befürchten" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVC · "befürchteten" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "befürchten" and "befürchteten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "befürchten" or "befürchteten"?
Remembering befürchten vs befürchteten
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 “befürchteten”.
- 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