Which to use
“beschäftige” and “beschäftigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,532
- “beschäftige” frequency rank
- #3,232
- “beschäftigen” frequency rank
- 20764
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | beschäftige | beschäftigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs beschäftigen | etwas ist die jetzige Tätigkeit einer Person; mit Betonung der beschäftigenden Sache |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set beschäftige and beschäftigen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. beschäftige ([bəˈʃɛftɪɡə]) and beschäftigen ([bəˈʃɛftɪɡn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “beschäftige” sits inside “beschäftigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20764, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
beschäftige is recorded at frequency rank #17,532, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃɛftɪɡə]. beschäftigen is at rank #3,232, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃɛftɪɡn̩].
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 20764, this pair ranks #1,894,022 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of beschäftige vs beschäftigen
Shared letters: bcefghistä. Private to "beschäftige": -. Private to "beschäftigen": n.
"beschäftige" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCV · "beschäftigen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "beschäftige" and "beschäftigen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "beschäftige" or "beschäftigen"?
Remembering beschäftige vs beschäftigen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “beschäftige” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable