Which to use
“berechtigen” is a verb and “berechtigten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,994
- “berechtigen” frequency rank
- #12,869
- “berechtigten” frequency rank
- 60863
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | berechtigen | berechtigten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden mit gewissen Rechten oder Befugnissen ausstatten | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs berechtigt |
Where the eye mixes berechtigen and berechtigten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. berechtigen runs 11 letters (CVCVCCCVCVC) against berechtigten's 12 (CVCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses berechtigen with berechtigten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: berechtigen is [bəˈʁɛçtɪɡn̩] while berechtigten is [bəˈʁɛçtɪçtn̩]. 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 60863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
berechtigen is recorded at frequency rank #47,994, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʁɛçtɪɡn̩]. berechtigten is at rank #12,869, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈʁɛçtɪçtn̩].
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 60863, this pair ranks #771,097 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of berechtigen vs berechtigten
Shared letters: bceghinrt. Private to "berechtigen": -. Private to "berechtigten": -.
"berechtigen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC · "berechtigten" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- berechtigen ← bberechtigen · beerchtigen · bercehtigen · berecchtigen · berechhtigen · berechitgen · berechtgien · berechtiegn
- berechtigten ← bberechtigten · beerchtigten · bercehtigten · berecchtigten · berechhtigten · berechitgten · berechtgiten · berechtigetn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "berechtigen" and "berechtigten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "berechtigen" vs "berechtigten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "berechtigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "berechtigten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #771,097 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "berechtigen" and "berechtigten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "berechtigen vs berechtigtes". 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 #771,097 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.