Which to use
“bestätige” and “betätigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,955
- “bestätige” frequency rank
- #19,157
- “betätigen” frequency rank
- 50112
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bestätige | betätigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs bestätigen | etwas benutzen, um etwas in Gang zu setzen |
Where the eye mixes bestätige and betätigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. bestätige (CVCCVCVCV) and betätigen (CVCVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses bestätige with betätigen
A purely visual mix-up. bestätige ([bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡə]) and betätigen ([bəˈtɛːtɪɡn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 7 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50112, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bestätige is recorded at frequency rank #30,955, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡə]. betätigen is at rank #19,157, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈtɛːtɪɡn̩].
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 50112, this pair ranks #1,186,197 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bestätige vs betätigen
Shared letters: begitä. Private to "bestätige": s. Private to "betätigen": n.
"bestätige" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV · "betätigen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bestätige" for "betätigen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "bestätige" or "betätigen"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bestätige" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "betätigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,186,197 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bestätige" and "betätigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "beständige vs bestätige". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,186,197 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.