benutzvsbenutztWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#21,904
“benutz” frequency rank
#1,255
“benutzt” frequency rank
23159
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature benutz benutzt
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs benutzen in Gebrauch befindend oder im Gebrauch gewesen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set benutz and benutzt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
benutz
7 ch
benutzt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: benutz is [bəˈnʊt͡s] while benutzt is [bəˈnʊt͡st]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “benutz” sits inside “benutzt”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23159, 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]. benutzt is at rank #1,255, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈnʊt͡st].

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 23159, this pair ranks #1,865,026 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of benutz vs benutzt

Shared letters: bentuz. Private to "benutz": -. Private to "benutzt": -.

"benutz" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "benutzt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • benutzbbenutz · bennutz · bentuz · benutzz · benuzt · beuntz · bneutz · ebnutz
  • benutztbbenutzt · bennutzt · bentuzt · benuttz · benuttzt · benutztt · benutzzt · benuztt

Frequency comparison

benutz#21,904
benutzt#1,255

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "benutz" and "benutzt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "benutz" is a verb and "benutzt" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "benutz" or "benutzt"?
"benutzt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,255 in our German list, against #21,904 for "benutz". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering benutz vs benutzt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “benutz”; for an adjective, it's “benutzt”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “benutz” 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