bemerkenvsbewirkenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“bemerken” and “bewirken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#8,838
“bemerken” frequency rank
#7,731
“bewirken” frequency rank
16569
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bemerken bewirken
Definition zu Bewusstsein kommen; etwas wahrnehmen eine Wirkung herbeiführen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bemerken and bewirken apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
bemerken
8 ch
bewirken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bemerken ([bəˈmɛʁkn̩]) and bewirken ([bəˈvɪʁkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16569, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bemerken is recorded at frequency rank #8,838, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈmɛʁkn̩]. bewirken is at rank #7,731, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈvɪʁkn̩].

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 16569, this pair ranks #1,934,760 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bemerken vs bewirken

Shared letters: beknr. Private to "bemerken": m. Private to "bewirken": iw.

"bemerken" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "bewirken" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bemerkenbbemerken · beemrken · bemekren · bemerekn · bemerkenn · bemerkken · bemerkne · bemerrken
  • bewirkenbbewirken · beiwrken · bewikren · bewirekn · bewirkenn · bewirkken · bewirkne · bewirrken

Frequency comparison

bemerken#8,838
bewirken#7,731

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bemerken" and "bewirken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈmɛʁkn̩] versus [bəˈvɪʁkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bemerken" or "bewirken"?
"bewirken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,731 in our German list, against #8,838 for "bemerken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bemerken vs bewirken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bemerken” 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