Which to use
“bekämpft” is a verb and “bekämpfte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,684
- “bekämpft” frequency rank
- #40,426
- “bekämpfte” frequency rank
- 49110
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bekämpft | bekämpfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bekämpfen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs bekämpft |
Where the eye mixes bekämpft and bekämpfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: bekämpft vs bekämpfte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bekämpft is [bəˈkɛmp͡ft] while bekämpfte is [bəˈkɛmp͡ftə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “bekämpft” sits inside “bekämpfte”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49110, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bekämpft is recorded at frequency rank #8,684, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈkɛmp͡ft]. 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 49110, this pair ranks #1,223,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bekämpft vs bekämpfte
Shared letters: befkmptä. Private to "bekämpft": -. Private to "bekämpfte": -.
"bekämpft" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCC · "bekämpfte" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bekämpft" for "bekämpfte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "bekämpft" or "bekämpfte" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bekämpft" 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 #1,223,755 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bekämpft" and "bekämpfte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bekämpfe vs bekämpfte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,223,755 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.