benötigtvsbenötigtenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,638
“benötigt” frequency rank
#9,860
“benötigten” frequency rank
12498
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature benötigt benötigten
Definition so, dass es gebraucht wird Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs benötigt

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
benötigt
10 ch
benötigten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. benötigt ([bəˈnøːtɪçt]) and benötigten ([bəˈnøːtɪçtn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “benötigt” sits inside “benötigten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12498, 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]. benötigten is at rank #9,860, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈnøːtɪçtn̩].

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 12498, this pair ranks #1,963,820 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of benötigt vs benötigten

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

"benötigt" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC  ·  "benötigten" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

benötigt#2,638
benötigten#9,860

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "benötigt" and "benötigten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈnøːtɪçt] versus [bəˈnøːtɪçtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "benötigt" or "benötigten"?
"benötigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,638 in our German list, against #9,860 for "benötigten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering benötigt vs benötigten

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