benötigtevsbenötigtenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,839
“benötigte” frequency rank
#9,860
“benötigten” frequency rank
18699
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature benötigte benötigten
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs benötigt Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs benötigt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set benötigte and benötigten apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
benötigte
10 ch
benötigten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. benötigte ([bəˈnøːtɪçtə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “benötigte” sits inside “benötigten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18699, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

benötigte is recorded at frequency rank #8,839, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈnøːtɪçtə]. 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 18699, this pair ranks #1,915,749 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of benötigte vs benötigten

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

"benötigte" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV  ·  "benötigten" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

benötigte#8,839
benötigten#9,860

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "benötigte" and "benötigten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈnøːtɪçtə] versus [bəˈnøːtɪçtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "benötigte" or "benötigten"?
"benötigte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,839 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 benötigte 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 “benötigte” 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