Which to use
“bestärken” and “bestärkt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,403
- “bestärken” frequency rank
- #20,527
- “bestärkt” frequency rank
- 57930
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bestärken | bestärkt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden in einer Haltung, einem Vorhaben stützen und ermutigen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs bestärken |
Where the eye mixes bestärken and bestärkt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. bestärken runs 9 letters (CVCCVCCVC) against bestärkt's 8 (CVCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses bestärken with bestärkt
A purely visual mix-up. bestärken ([bəˈʃtɛʁkn̩]) and bestärkt ([bəˈʃtɛʁkt]) 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 57930, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bestärken is recorded at frequency rank #37,403, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛʁkn̩]. bestärkt is at rank #20,527, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛʁkt].
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 57930, this pair ranks #882,316 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bestärken vs bestärkt
Shared letters: bekrstä. Private to "bestärken": n. Private to "bestärkt": -.
"bestärken" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "bestärkt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bestärken" for "bestärkt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "bestärken" or "bestärkt" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bestärken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bestärkt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #882,316 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bestärken" and "bestärkt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bestärken vs bestaunen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #882,316 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.