Which to use
“beschädigen” is a verb and “beschädigten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,653
- “beschädigen” frequency rank
- #23,443
- “beschädigten” frequency rank
- 46096
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | beschädigen | beschädigten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas einen Schaden zufügen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs beschädigt |
Where the eye mixes beschädigen and beschädigten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. beschädigen runs 11 letters (CVCCCVCVCVC) against beschädigten's 12 (CVCCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: beschädigen vs beschädigten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: beschädigen is [bəˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩] while beschädigten is [bəˈʃɛːdɪçtn̩]. 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 46096, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
beschädigen is recorded at frequency rank #22,653, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩]. beschädigten is at rank #23,443, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈʃɛːdɪçtn̩].
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 46096, this pair ranks #1,330,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of beschädigen vs beschädigten
Shared letters: bcdeghinsä. Private to "beschädigen": -. Private to "beschädigten": t.
"beschädigen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVC · "beschädigten" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "beschädigen" and "beschädigten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "beschädigen" or "beschädigten" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "beschädigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "beschädigten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,330,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "beschädigen" and "beschädigten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "beschädigen vs beschuldigen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,330,784 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.