Which to use
“benutzen” is a verb and “benutzte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,803
- “benutzen” frequency rank
- #9,512
- “benutzte” frequency rank
- 11315
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | benutzen | benutzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | verwenden, ausnutzen, zum Vorteil anwenden, brauchen, gebrauchen, nutzbar machen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs benutzt |
Where the eye mixes benutzen and benutzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. benutzen (CVCVCCVC) and benutzte (CVCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses benutzen with benutzte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: benutzen is [bəˈnʊt͡sn̩] while benutzte is [bəˈnʊt͡stə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11315, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
benutzen is recorded at frequency rank #1,803, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈnʊt͡sn̩]. 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 11315, this pair ranks #1,970,523 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of benutzen vs benutzte
Shared letters: bentuz. Private to "benutzen": -. Private to "benutzte": -.
"benutzen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "benutzte" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "benutzen" and "benutzte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "benutzen" or "benutzte" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "benutzen" 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 #1,970,523 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "benutzen" and "benutzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "benutzen 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 #1,970,523 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.