Which to use
“besichtigen” is a verb and “Besichtigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,106
- “besichtigen” frequency rank
- #12,467
- “Besichtigung” frequency rank
- 25573
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | besichtigen | Besichtigung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | an einen bestimmten Ort gehen und etwas (genau) ansehen, um es kennenzulernen | Ereignis, bei dem jemand etwas genau betrachtet, wobei das Betrachtete meist zur Betrachtung freigegeben wurde oder frei zugänglich ist |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set besichtigen and Besichtigung apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
besichtigen and Besichtigung form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25573, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
besichtigen is recorded at frequency rank #13,106, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈzɪçtɪɡn̩]. Besichtigung is at rank #12,467, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈzɪçtɪɡʊŋ].
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 25573, this pair ranks #1,831,224 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "besichtigen" and "Besichtigung" be used interchangeably?
Remembering besichtigen vs Besichtigung
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “besichtigen”; for a noun, it's “Besichtigung”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “besichtigen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable