bestätigenvsbestätigtTell them apart

Which to use

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

#2,877
“bestätigen” frequency rank
#1,542
“bestätigt” frequency rank
4419
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bestätigen bestätigt
Definition den Wahrheitsgehalt einer Aussage oder eines Sachverhalts bejahen oder zumindest erhärten Partizip Perfekt des Verbs bestätigen

Where the eye mixes bestätigen and bestätigt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

10 ch
bestätigen
9 ch
bestätigt

Why the eye confuses bestätigen with bestätigt

A purely visual mix-up. bestätigen ([bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡn̩]) and bestätigt ([bəˈʃtɛːtɪçt]) 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 4419, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bestätigen is recorded at frequency rank #2,877, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡn̩]. bestätigt is at rank #1,542, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛːtɪçt].

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 4419, this pair ranks #1,997,771 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bestätigen vs bestätigt

Shared letters: begistä. Private to "bestätigen": n. Private to "bestätigt": -.

"bestätigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC  ·  "bestätigt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "bestätigen" for "bestätigt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡn̩] versus [bəˈʃtɛːtɪçt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "bestätigen" vs "bestätigt" - which ranks higher?
"bestätigt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,542 in our German list, against #2,877 for "bestätigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "bestätigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bestätigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,997,771 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bestätigen" and "bestätigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bestätigt vs betätigte". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,997,771 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list