Which to use
“bekämpfen” is a verb and “bekämpfte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,062
- “bekämpfen” frequency rank
- #40,426
- “bekämpfte” frequency rank
- 45488
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bekämpfen | bekämpfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gegen etwas ankämpfen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs bekämpft |
Where the eye mixes bekämpfen and bekämpfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. bekämpfen (CVCVCCCVC) and bekämpfte (CVCVCCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between bekämpfen and bekämpfte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bekämpfen is [bəˈkɛmp͡fn̩] while bekämpfte is [bəˈkɛmp͡ftə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45488, 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]. bekämpfte is at rank #40,426, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈkɛmp͡ftə].
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 45488, this pair ranks #1,351,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bekämpfen vs bekämpfte
Shared letters: befkmpä. Private to "bekämpfen": n. Private to "bekämpfte": t.
"bekämpfen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCVC · "bekämpfte" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bekämpfen" and "bekämpfte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "bekämpfen" vs "bekämpfte" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "bekämpfen" and "bekämpfte" 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 "bekämpfte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,351,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bekämpfen" and "bekämpfte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bekämpfe vs bekämpfte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,351,326 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.