Which to use
“bemühen” and “bemüht” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,041
- “bemühen” frequency rank
- #4,770
- “bemüht” frequency rank
- 10811
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bemühen | bemüht |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich Mühe geben, sich anstrengen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bemühen |
Where the eye mixes bemühen and bemüht
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. bemühen runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against bemüht's 6 (CVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: bemühen vs bemüht
A purely visual mix-up. bemühen ([bəˈmyːən]) and bemüht ([bəˈmyːt]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10811, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bemühen is recorded at frequency rank #6,041, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈmyːən]. bemüht is at rank #4,770, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈmyːt].
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 10811, this pair ranks #1,973,192 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bemühen vs bemüht
Shared letters: behmü. Private to "bemühen": n. Private to "bemüht": t.
"bemühen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "bemüht" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bemühen" for "bemüht" ever safe?
Which is more common, "bemühen" or "bemüht"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bemühen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bemüht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,973,192 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bemühen" and "bemüht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bejahen vs bemühen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,973,192 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.