bekamvsbekämeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,690
“bekam” frequency rank
#20,522
“bekäme” frequency rank
22212
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bekam bekäme
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bekommen 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bekommen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bekam and bekäme apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
bekam
6 ch
bekäme

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bekam ([bəˈkaːm]) and bekäme ([bəˈkɛːmə]) 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 22212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bekam is recorded at frequency rank #1,690, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈkaːm]. bekäme is at rank #20,522, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈkɛːmə].

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 22212, this pair ranks #1,876,930 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bekam vs bekäme

Shared letters: bekm. Private to "bekam": a. Private to "bekäme": ä.

"bekam" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "bekäme" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bekambbekam · beakm · bekamm · bekkam · bekma · bkeam · ebkam

Frequency comparison

bekam#1,690
bekäme#20,522

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bekam" and "bekäme" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈkaːm] versus [bəˈkɛːmə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bekam" or "bekäme"?
"bekam" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,690 in our German list, against #20,522 for "bekäme". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering bekam vs bekäme

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 “bekam” 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