benötigstvsbenötigtWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: benötigst is a verb, benötigt is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“benötigst” is a verb and “benötigt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,096
“benötigst” frequency rank
#2,638
“benötigt” frequency rank
37734
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature benötigst benötigt
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs benötigen so, dass es gebraucht wird

Where the eye mixes benötigst and benötigt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

9 ch
benötigst
8 ch
benötigt

Look-alike desk: benötigst vs benötigt

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: benötigst is [bəˈnøːtɪçst] while benötigt is [bəˈnøːtɪçt]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37734, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

benötigst is recorded at frequency rank #35,096, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈnøːtɪçst]. benötigt is at rank #2,638, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈnøːtɪçt].

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 37734, this pair ranks #1,582,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of benötigst vs benötigt

Shared letters: begintö. Private to "benötigst": s. Private to "benötigt": -.

"benötigst" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCC  ·  "benötigt" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "benötigst" for "benötigt" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "benötigst" is a verb and "benötigt" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "benötigst" vs "benötigt" - which ranks higher?
"benötigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,638 in our German list, against #35,096 for "benötigst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "benötigst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "benötigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,582,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "benötigst" and "benötigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "benötige vs benötigst". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,582,430 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list