berechtigtvsberüchtigtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“berechtigt” and “berüchtigt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,410
“berechtigt” frequency rank
#35,100
“berüchtigt” frequency rank
39510
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature berechtigt berüchtigt
Definition zu Recht bestehend, einen guten Grund habend übel beleumdet, für schlechte Eigenschaften oder Taten bekannt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set berechtigt and berüchtigt apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
berechtigt
10 ch
berüchtigt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. berechtigt ([bəˈʁɛçtɪçt]) and berüchtigt ([bəˈʁʏçtɪçt]) 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 a single letter - e in “berechtigt” becomes ü in “berüchtigt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39510, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

berechtigt is recorded at frequency rank #4,410, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈʁɛçtɪçt]. berüchtigt is at rank #35,100, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈʁʏçtɪçt].

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 39510, this pair ranks #1,534,781 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of berechtigt vs berüchtigt

Shared letters: bceghirt. Private to "berechtigt": -. Private to "berüchtigt": ü.

"berechtigt" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC  ·  "berüchtigt" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • berechtigtbberechtigt · beerchtigt · bercehtigt · berecchtigt · berechhtigt · berechitgt · berechtgit · berechtiggt

Frequency comparison

berechtigt#4,410
berüchtigt#35,100

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "berechtigt" and "berüchtigt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈʁɛçtɪçt] versus [bəˈʁʏçtɪçt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "berechtigt" or "berüchtigt"?
"berechtigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,410 in our German list, against #35,100 for "berüchtigt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering berechtigt vs berüchtigt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “berechtigt” 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