Which to use
“bestätigen” is a verb and “bestätigten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,877
- “bestätigen” frequency rank
- #17,238
- “bestätigten” frequency rank
- 20115
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bestätigen | bestätigten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Wahrheitsgehalt einer Aussage oder eines Sachverhalts bejahen oder zumindest erhärten | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs bestätigt |
Where the eye mixes bestätigen and bestätigten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. bestätigen runs 10 letters (CVCCVCVCVC) against bestätigten's 11 (CVCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses bestätigen with bestätigten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bestätigen is [bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡn̩] while bestätigten is [bəˈʃtɛːtɪçtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20115, 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]. bestätigten is at rank #17,238, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛːtɪçtn̩].
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 20115, this pair ranks #1,901,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bestätigen vs bestätigten
Shared letters: beginstä. Private to "bestätigen": -. Private to "bestätigten": -.
"bestätigen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC · "bestätigten" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bestätigen" for "bestätigten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "bestätigen" or "bestätigten" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "bestätigen" and "bestätigten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "bestätigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bestätigten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,901,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bestätigen" and "bestätigten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bestätigten vs betätigte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,901,095 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.