Which to use
“benutze” is a verb and “benutzte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,897
- “benutze” frequency rank
- #9,512
- “benutzte” frequency rank
- 16409
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | benutze | benutzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs benutzen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs benutzt |
Where the eye mixes benutze and benutzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. benutze runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against benutzte's 8 (CVCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between benutze and benutzte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: benutze is [bəˈnʊt͡sə] while benutzte is [bəˈnʊt͡stə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
benutze is recorded at frequency rank #6,897, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈnʊt͡sə]. benutzte is at rank #9,512, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈnʊt͡stə].
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 16409, this pair ranks #1,936,093 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of benutze vs benutzte
Shared letters: bentuz. Private to "benutze": -. Private to "benutzte": -.
"benutze" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "benutzte" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "benutze" for "benutzte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "benutze" or "benutzte" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "benutze" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "benutzte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,936,093 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "benutze" and "benutzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "benutze vs Benutzern". 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 #1,936,093 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.