bestandvsbeständeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,958
“bestand” frequency rank
#11,613
“bestände” frequency rank
13571
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bestand bestände
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs bestehen 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bestehen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
bestand
8 ch
bestände

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bestand ([bəˈʃtant]) and bestände ([bəˈʃtɛndə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13571, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bestand is recorded at frequency rank #1,958, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtant]. bestände is at rank #11,613, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛndə].

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 13571, this pair ranks #1,957,130 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bestand vs bestände

Shared letters: bdenst. Private to "bestand": a. Private to "bestände": ä.

"bestand" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "bestände" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bestandbbestand · besatnd · besstand · bestadn · bestandd · bestannd · bestnad · besttand

Frequency comparison

bestand#1,958
bestände#11,613

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bestand" and "bestände" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈʃtant] versus [bəˈʃtɛndə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bestand" or "bestände"?
"bestand" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,958 in our German list, against #11,613 for "bestände". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bestand vs bestände

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 “bestand” 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