bekämevsbekämpfeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#20,522
“bekäme” frequency rank
#47,991
“bekämpfe” frequency rank
68513
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bekäme bekämpfe
Definition 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bekommen 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs bekämpfen

Where the eye mixes bekäme and bekämpfe

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. bekäme runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against bekämpfe's 8 (CVCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
bekäme
8 ch
bekämpfe

Look-alike desk: bekäme vs bekämpfe

A purely visual mix-up. bekäme ([bəˈkɛːmə]) and bekämpfe ([bəˈkɛmp͡fə]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68513, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bekäme is recorded at frequency rank #20,522, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈkɛːmə]. bekämpfe is at rank #47,991, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈkɛmp͡fə].

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 68513, this pair ranks #505,352 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bekäme vs bekämpfe

Shared letters: bekmä. Private to "bekäme": -. Private to "bekämpfe": fp.

"bekäme" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "bekämpfe" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "bekäme" and "bekämpfe" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈkɛːmə] versus [bəˈkɛmp͡fə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bekäme" or "bekämpfe"?
"bekäme" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,522 in our German list, against #47,991 for "bekämpfe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "bekäme" and "bekämpfe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "bekäme" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bekämpfe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #505,352 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bekäme" and "bekämpfe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bekämpfe vs bekämpften". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #505,352 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list