BesitzvsBesitzesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Besitz” and “Besitzes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,383
“Besitz” frequency rank
#25,470
“Besitzes” frequency rank
27853
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Besitz Besitzes
Definition tatsächliche Sachherrschaft Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Besitz

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Besitz and Besitzes apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Besitz
8 ch
Besitzes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Besitz ([bəˈzɪt͡s]) and Besitzes ([bəˈzɪt͡səs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Besitz” sits inside “Besitzes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27853, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Besitz is recorded at frequency rank #2,383, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈzɪt͡s]. Besitzes is at rank #25,470, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈzɪt͡səs].

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 27853, this pair ranks #1,794,754 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Besitz vs Besitzes

Shared letters: beistz. Private to "Besitz": -. Private to "Besitzes": -.

"Besitz" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "Besitzes" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Besitzbbesitz · beistz · besitzz · besizt · bessitz · bestiz · bseitz · ebsitz
  • Besitzesbbesitzes · beistzes · besitezs · besittzes · besitzess · besitzse · besitzzes · besiztes

Frequency comparison

Besitz#2,383
Besitzes#25,470

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Besitz" and "Besitzes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈzɪt͡s] versus [bəˈzɪt͡səs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Besitz" or "Besitzes"?
"Besitz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,383 in our German list, against #25,470 for "Besitzes". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Besitz vs Besitzes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Besitz” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list