Which to use
“bestand” is a verb and “bestens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,958
- “bestand” frequency rank
- #4,104
- “bestens” frequency rank
- 6062
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bestand | bestens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs bestehen | auf das Beste, sehr gut, ausgezeichnet, hervorragend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bestand and bestens apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bestand is [bəˈʃtant] while bestens is [ˈbɛstn̩s]. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6062, 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]. bestens is at rank #4,104, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈbɛstn̩s].
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 6062, this pair ranks #1,992,848 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bestand vs bestens
Shared letters: benst. Private to "bestand": ad. Private to "bestens": -.
"bestand" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "bestens" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bestand" and "bestens" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bestand" or "bestens"?
Remembering bestand vs bestens
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “bestand”; for an adverb, it's “bestens”.
- 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