beschädigtvsbeschädigtenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: beschädigt is a verb, beschädigten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“beschädigt” is a verb and “beschädigten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,772
“beschädigt” frequency rank
#23,443
“beschädigten” frequency rank
28215
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature beschädigt beschädigten
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs beschädigen Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs beschädigt

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
beschädigt
12 ch
beschädigten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: beschädigt is [bəˈʃɛːdɪçt] while beschädigten is [bəˈʃɛːdɪçtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “beschädigt” sits inside “beschädigten”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28215, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

beschädigt is recorded at frequency rank #4,772, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃɛːdɪçt]. 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 28215, this pair ranks #1,788,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of beschädigt vs beschädigten

Shared letters: bcdeghistä. Private to "beschädigt": -. Private to "beschädigten": n.

"beschädigt" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCC  ·  "beschädigten" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

beschädigt#4,772
beschädigten#23,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "beschädigt" and "beschädigten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "beschädigt" is a verb and "beschädigten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "beschädigt" or "beschädigten"?
"beschädigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,772 in our German list, against #23,443 for "beschädigten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering beschädigt vs beschädigten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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