Which to use
“beschädigt” is a verb and “beschäftigt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,772
- “beschädigt” frequency rank
- #1,347
- “beschäftigt” frequency rank
- 6119
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | beschädigt | beschäftigt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs beschädigen | ausgelastet durch (bezahlte) Tätigkeit |
Where the eye mixes beschädigt and beschäftigt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. beschädigt runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCVCC) against beschäftigt's 11 (CVCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: beschädigt vs beschäftigt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: beschädigt is [bəˈʃɛːdɪçt] while beschäftigt is [bəˈʃɛftɪçt]. 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 6119, 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]. beschäftigt is at rank #1,347, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈʃɛftɪçt].
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 6119, this pair ranks #1,992,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of beschädigt vs beschäftigt
Shared letters: bceghistä. Private to "beschädigt": d. Private to "beschäftigt": f.
"beschädigt" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCC · "beschäftigt" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "beschädigt" for "beschäftigt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "beschädigt" or "beschäftigt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "beschädigt" and "beschäftigt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "beschädigt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "beschäftigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,992,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "beschädigt" and "beschäftigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "beschäftigt vs Beschäftigter". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,992,659 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.