Which to use
“benutzt” and “benutzte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,255
- “benutzt” frequency rank
- #9,512
- “benutzte” frequency rank
- 10767
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | benutzt | benutzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Gebrauch befindend oder im Gebrauch gewesen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs benutzt |
Where the eye mixes benutzt and benutzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. benutzt runs 7 letters (CVCVCCC) against benutzte's 8 (CVCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses benutzt with benutzte
A purely visual mix-up. benutzt ([bəˈnʊt͡st]) and benutzte ([bəˈnʊt͡stə]) 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) - “benutzt” sits inside “benutzte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10767, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
benutzt is recorded at frequency rank #1,255, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈnʊt͡st]. 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 10767, this pair ranks #1,973,418 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of benutzt vs benutzte
Shared letters: bentuz. Private to "benutzt": -. Private to "benutzte": -.
"benutzt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "benutzte" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "benutzt" and "benutzte" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "benutzt" vs "benutzte" - which ranks higher?
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 "benutzt" 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 #1,973,418 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "benutzt" and "benutzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "behütet vs benutzt". 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 #1,973,418 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.