begannvsbeginneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“begann” and “beginne” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,346
“begann” frequency rank
#11,607
“beginne” frequency rank
12953
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature begann beginne
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs beginnen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs beginnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set begann and beginne apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
begann
7 ch
beginne

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. begann ([bəˈɡan]) and beginne ([bəˈɡɪnə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12953, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

begann is recorded at frequency rank #1,346, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈɡan]. beginne is at rank #11,607, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈɡɪnə].

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 12953, this pair ranks #1,961,008 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of begann vs beginne

Shared letters: begn. Private to "begann": a. Private to "beginne": i.

"begann" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "beginne" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • begannbbegann · beagnn · began · beggann · begnan · bgeann · ebgann
  • beginnebbeginne · begginne · begine · begnine · beignne · bgeinne · ebginne

Frequency comparison

begann#1,346
beginne#11,607

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "begann" and "beginne" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈɡan] versus [bəˈɡɪnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "begann" or "beginne"?
"begann" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,346 in our German list, against #11,607 for "beginne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering begann vs beginne

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “begann” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list