beschädigenvsBeschädigungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: beschädigen is a verb, Beschädigung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set beschädigen and Beschädigung apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
beschädigen
12 ch
Beschädigung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

beschädigen#22,653
Beschädigung#20,860

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "beschädigen" and "Beschädigung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "beschädigen" is a verb and "Beschädigung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "beschädigen" or "Beschädigung"?
"Beschädigung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,860 in our German list, against #22,653 for "beschädigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering beschädigen vs Beschädigung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “beschädigen”; for a noun, it's “Beschädigung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “beschädigen” 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