Which to use
“beschädigen” is a verb and “Beschädigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,653
- “beschädigen” frequency rank
- #20,860
- “Beschädigung” frequency rank
- 43513
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | beschädigen | Beschädigung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas einen Schaden zufügen | der Vorgang des Beschädigens oder des Beschädigt-Werdens |
Where the eye mixes beschädigen and Beschädigung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. beschädigen runs 11 letters (CVCCCVCVCVC) against Beschädigung's 12 (CVCCCVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between beschädigen and Beschädigung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: beschädigen is [bəˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩] while Beschädigung is [bəˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋ]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43513, 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]. Beschädigung is at rank #20,860, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈʃɛːdɪɡʊŋ].
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 43513, this pair ranks #1,415,707 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of beschädigen vs Beschädigung
Shared letters: bcdeghinsä. Private to "beschädigen": -. Private to "Beschädigung": u.
"beschädigen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVC · "Beschädigung" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "beschädigen" for "Beschädigung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "beschädigen" or "Beschädigung" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "beschädigen" and "Beschädigung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "beschädigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Beschädigung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,415,707 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "beschädigen" and "Beschädigung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "beschädigen vs beschuldigen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,415,707 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.