Which to use
“benutz” and “benutzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,904
- “benutz” frequency rank
- #1,803
- “benutzen” frequency rank
- 23707
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | benutz | benutzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs benutzen | verwenden, ausnutzen, zum Vorteil anwenden, brauchen, gebrauchen, nutzbar machen |
Where the eye mixes benutz and benutzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. benutz runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against benutzen's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: benutz vs benutzen
A purely visual mix-up. benutz ([bəˈnʊt͡s]) and benutzen ([bəˈnʊt͡sn̩]) 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) - “benutz” sits inside “benutzen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23707, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
benutz is recorded at frequency rank #21,904, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈnʊt͡s]. benutzen is at rank #1,803, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈnʊt͡sn̩].
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 23707, this pair ranks #1,857,710 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of benutz vs benutzen
Shared letters: bentuz. Private to "benutz": -. Private to "benutzen": -.
"benutz" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "benutzen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "benutz" for "benutzen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "benutz" or "benutzen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "benutz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "benutzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,857,710 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "benutz" and "benutzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "benutz vs Betz". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,857,710 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.