Which to use
“bekämpfen” and “bekämpft” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,062
- “bekämpfen” frequency rank
- #8,684
- “bekämpft” frequency rank
- 13746
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bekämpfen | bekämpft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gegen etwas ankämpfen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bekämpfen |
Where the eye mixes bekämpfen and bekämpft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. bekämpfen runs 9 letters (CVCVCCCVC) against bekämpft's 8 (CVCVCCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between bekämpfen and bekämpft
A purely visual mix-up. bekämpfen ([bəˈkɛmp͡fn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13746, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bekämpfen is recorded at frequency rank #5,062, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈkɛmp͡fn̩]. 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 13746, this pair ranks #1,955,989 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bekämpfen vs bekämpft
Shared letters: befkmpä. Private to "bekämpfen": n. Private to "bekämpft": t.
"bekämpfen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCVC · "bekämpft" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bekämpfen" for "bekämpft" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "bekämpfen" or "bekämpft" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "bekämpfen" and "bekämpft" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "bekämpfen" 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 #1,955,989 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bekämpfen" and "bekämpft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bekämpfe vs bekämpft". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,955,989 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.