Which to use
“beschäftigen” is a verb and “beschäftigt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,232
- “beschäftigen” frequency rank
- #1,347
- “beschäftigt” frequency rank
- 4579
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | beschäftigen | beschäftigt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas ist die jetzige Tätigkeit einer Person; mit Betonung der beschäftigenden Sache | ausgelastet durch (bezahlte) Tätigkeit |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set beschäftigen and beschäftigt apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: beschäftigen is [bəˈʃɛftɪɡn̩] 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 4579, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
beschäftigen is recorded at frequency rank #3,232, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃɛftɪɡn̩]. 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 4579, this pair ranks #1,997,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of beschäftigen vs beschäftigt
Shared letters: bcefghistä. Private to "beschäftigen": n. Private to "beschäftigt": -.
"beschäftigen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCVC · "beschäftigt" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "beschäftigen" and "beschäftigt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "beschäftigen" or "beschäftigt"?
Remembering beschäftigen vs beschäftigt
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “beschäftigen”; for an adjective, it's “beschäftigt”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “beschäftigen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable