Which to use
“beschäftigen” is a verb and “Beschäftigte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,232
- “beschäftigen” frequency rank
- #5,065
- “Beschäftigte” frequency rank
- 8297
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | beschäftigen | Beschäftigte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas ist die jetzige Tätigkeit einer Person; mit Betonung der beschäftigenden Sache | eine weibliche Person, die einer nichtselbstständigen Tätigkeit nachgeht |
Where the eye mixes beschäftigen and Beschäftigte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. beschäftigen (CVCCCVCCVCVC) and Beschäftigte (CVCCCVCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: beschäftigen vs Beschäftigte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: beschäftigen is [bəˈʃɛftɪɡn̩] while Beschäftigte is [bəˈʃɛftɪçtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8297, 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]. Beschäftigte is at rank #5,065, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈʃɛftɪçtə].
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 8297, this pair ranks #1,984,844 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of beschäftigen vs Beschäftigte
Shared letters: bcefghistä. Private to "beschäftigen": n. Private to "Beschäftigte": -.
"beschäftigen" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCVC · "Beschäftigte" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "beschäftigen" for "Beschäftigte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "beschäftigen" or "Beschäftigte"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "beschäftigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Beschäftigte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,984,844 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "beschäftigen" and "Beschäftigte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Beschäftigte vs Beschäftigter". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,984,844 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.