benötigtvsbenötigteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,638
“benötigt” frequency rank
#8,839
“benötigte” frequency rank
11477
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature benötigt benötigte
Definition so, dass es gebraucht wird Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs benötigt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set benötigt and benötigte apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
benötigt
9 ch
benötigte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. benötigt ([bəˈnøːtɪçt]) and benötigte ([bəˈnøːtɪçtə]) 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) - “benötigt” sits inside “benötigte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

benötigt is recorded at frequency rank #2,638, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈnøːtɪçt]. benötigte is at rank #8,839, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈnøːtɪçtə].

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 11477, this pair ranks #1,969,689 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of benötigt vs benötigte

Shared letters: begintö. Private to "benötigt": -. Private to "benötigte": -.

"benötigt" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC  ·  "benötigte" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV

Frequency comparison

benötigt#2,638
benötigte#8,839

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "benötigt" and "benötigte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈnøːtɪçt] versus [bəˈnøːtɪçtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "benötigt" or "benötigte"?
"benötigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,638 in our German list, against #8,839 for "benötigte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering benötigt vs benötigte

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 “benötigt” 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