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 eye mixes beschäftigen and beschäftigt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. beschäftigen runs 12 letters (CVCCCVCCVCVC) against beschäftigt's 11 (CVCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: beschäftigen vs beschäftigt
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "beschäftigen" and "beschäftigt" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "beschäftigen" vs "beschäftigt" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "beschäftigen" 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 #1,997,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "beschäftigen" and "beschäftigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "beschäftigen vs Beschäftigter". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,997,326 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.