Which to use
“beschäftigt” is an adjective and “Beschäftigte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,347
- “beschäftigt” frequency rank
- #5,065
- “Beschäftigte” frequency rank
- 6412
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | beschäftigt | Beschäftigte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ausgelastet durch (bezahlte) Tätigkeit | eine weibliche Person, die einer nichtselbstständigen Tätigkeit nachgeht |
Where the eye mixes beschäftigt and Beschäftigte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. beschäftigt runs 11 letters (CVCCCVCCVCC) against Beschäftigte's 12 (CVCCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between beschäftigt and Beschäftigte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: beschäftigt is [bəˈʃɛftɪçt] while Beschäftigte is [bəˈʃɛftɪçtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “beschäftigt” sits inside “Beschäftigte”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6412, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
beschäftigt is recorded at frequency rank #1,347, classified as anadj, pronounced [bəˈʃɛftɪçt]. 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 6412, this pair ranks #1,991,730 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of beschäftigt vs Beschäftigte
Shared letters: bcefghistä. Private to "beschäftigt": -. Private to "Beschäftigte": -.
"beschäftigt" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCC · "Beschäftigte" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "beschäftigt" for "Beschäftigte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "beschäftigt" or "Beschäftigte"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "beschäftigt" 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 #1,991,730 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "beschäftigt" and "Beschäftigte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Beschäftigte vs Beschäftigter". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,991,730 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.