bergevsbesorgeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,562
“berge” frequency rank
#30,954
“besorge” frequency rank
34516
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature berge besorge
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs bergen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs besorgen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set berge and besorge apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
berge
7 ch
besorge

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. berge ([ˈbɛʁɡə]) and besorge ([bəˈzɔʁɡə]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34516, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

berge is recorded at frequency rank #3,562, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbɛʁɡə]. besorge is at rank #30,954, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈzɔʁɡə].

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 34516, this pair ranks #1,661,574 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of berge vs besorge

Shared letters: begr. Private to "berge": -. Private to "besorge": os.

"berge" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "besorge" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bergebberge · begre · bereg · bergge · berrge · brege · ebrge
  • besorgebbesorge · beosrge · besogre · besoreg · besorgge · besorrge · besroge · bessorge

Frequency comparison

berge#3,562
besorge#30,954

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "berge" and "besorge" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbɛʁɡə] versus [bəˈzɔʁɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "berge" or "besorge"?
"berge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,562 in our German list, against #30,954 for "besorge". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering berge vs besorge

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 “berge” 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