beleidigenvsBeleidigungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: beleidigen is a verb, Beleidigung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“beleidigen” is a verb and “Beleidigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,517
“beleidigen” frequency rank
#7,444
“Beleidigung” frequency rank
15961
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature beleidigen Beleidigung
Definition jemanden in seiner Ehre oder Würde durch Worte oder Taten verletzen jede Verletzung der persönlichen Ehre eines anderen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set beleidigen and Beleidigung apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
beleidigen
11 ch
Beleidigung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: beleidigen is [bəˈlaɪ̯dɪɡn̩] while Beleidigung is [bəˈlaɪ̯dɪɡʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15961, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

beleidigen is recorded at frequency rank #8,517, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈlaɪ̯dɪɡn̩]. Beleidigung is at rank #7,444, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈlaɪ̯dɪɡʊŋ].

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 15961, this pair ranks #1,939,766 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of beleidigen vs Beleidigung

Shared letters: bdegiln. Private to "beleidigen": -. Private to "Beleidigung": u.

"beleidigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCVCVC  ·  "Beleidigung" · 11 letters · shape CVCVVCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • beleidigenbbeleidigen · beelidigen · belediigen · beleiddigen · beleidgien · beleidiegn · beleidigenn · beleidiggen
  • Beleidigungbbeleidigung · beelidigung · belediigung · beleiddigung · beleidgiung · beleidiggung · beleidignug · beleidigugn

Frequency comparison

beleidigen#8,517
Beleidigung#7,444

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "beleidigen" and "Beleidigung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "beleidigen" is a verb and "Beleidigung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "beleidigen" or "Beleidigung"?
"Beleidigung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,444 in our German list, against #8,517 for "beleidigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering beleidigen vs Beleidigung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “beleidigen”; for a noun, it's “Beleidigung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “beleidigen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list