Which to use
“bekämpfte” and “bekämpften” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,426
- “bekämpfte” frequency rank
- #43,051
- “bekämpften” frequency rank
- 83477
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bekämpfte | bekämpften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs bekämpft | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs bekämpft |
Where the eye mixes bekämpfte and bekämpften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. bekämpfte runs 9 letters (CVCVCCCCV) against bekämpften's 10 (CVCVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between bekämpfte and bekämpften
A purely visual mix-up. bekämpfte ([bəˈkɛmp͡ftə]) and bekämpften ([bəˈkɛmp͡ftn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “bekämpfte” sits inside “bekämpften”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bekämpfte is recorded at frequency rank #40,426, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈkɛmp͡ftə]. bekämpften is at rank #43,051, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈkɛmp͡ftn̩].
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 83477, this pair ranks #139,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bekämpfte vs bekämpften
Shared letters: befkmptä. Private to "bekämpfte": -. Private to "bekämpften": n.
"bekämpfte" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCCCV · "bekämpften" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bekämpfte" and "bekämpften" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "bekämpfte" vs "bekämpften" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bekämpfte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bekämpften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #139,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bekämpfte" and "bekämpften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bekämpfe vs bekämpften". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #139,282 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.