beruhigvsberuhteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#43,760
“beruhig” frequency rank
#28,096
“beruhte” frequency rank
71856
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature beruhig beruhte
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs beruhigen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs beruhen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
beruhig
7 ch
beruhte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. beruhig ([bəˈʁuːɪç]) and beruhte ([bəˈʁuːtə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71856, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

beruhig is recorded at frequency rank #43,760, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʁuːɪç]. beruhte is at rank #28,096, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʁuːtə].

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 71856, this pair ranks #404,839 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of beruhig vs beruhte

Shared letters: behru. Private to "beruhig": gi. Private to "beruhte": t.

"beruhig" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "beruhte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • beruhigbberuhig · berhuig · berruhig · beruhgi · beruhhig · beruhigg · beruihg · beurhig
  • beruhtebberuhte · berhute · berruhte · beruhet · beruhhte · beruhtte · beruthe · beurhte

Frequency comparison

beruhig#43,760
beruhte#28,096

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "beruhig" and "beruhte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈʁuːɪç] versus [bəˈʁuːtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "beruhig" or "beruhte"?
"beruhte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,096 in our German list, against #43,760 for "beruhig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering beruhig vs beruhte

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 “beruhig” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list