bekämpfevsbekämpftWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,991
“bekämpfe” frequency rank
#8,684
“bekämpft” frequency rank
56675
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bekämpfe bekämpft
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs bekämpfen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bekämpfen

Where the eye mixes bekämpfe and bekämpft

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. bekämpfe (CVCVCCCV) and bekämpft (CVCVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
bekämpfe
8 ch
bekämpft

Look-alike desk: bekämpfe vs bekämpft

A purely visual mix-up. bekämpfe ([bəˈkɛmp͡fə]) and bekämpft ([bəˈkɛmp͡ft]) 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 a single letter - e in “bekämpfe” becomes t in “bekämpft”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56675, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bekämpfe is recorded at frequency rank #47,991, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈkɛmp͡fə]. bekämpft is at rank #8,684, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈkɛmp͡ft].

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 56675, this pair ranks #931,009 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bekämpfe vs bekämpft

Shared letters: befkmpä. Private to "bekämpfe": -. Private to "bekämpft": t.

"bekämpfe" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV  ·  "bekämpft" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "bekämpfe" and "bekämpft" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈkɛmp͡fə] versus [bəˈkɛmp͡ft]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "bekämpfe" vs "bekämpft" - which ranks higher?
"bekämpft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,684 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 "bekämpfe" and "bekämpft" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "bekämpfe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bekämpft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #931,009 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bekämpfe" and "bekämpft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bekämpfe vs bekämpften". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #931,009 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