BestätigungvsBetätigungWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#5,150
“Bestätigung” frequency rank
#17,832
“Betätigung” frequency rank
22982
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Bestätigung Betätigung
Definition Information über die Richtigkeit Beschäftigung/Befassung mit einer bestimmten Aufgabe

Where the eye mixes Bestätigung and Betätigung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Bestätigung runs 11 letters (CVCCVCVCVCC) against Betätigung's 10 (CVCVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
Bestätigung
10 ch
Betätigung

Look-alike desk: Bestätigung vs Betätigung

A purely visual mix-up. Bestätigung ([bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡʊŋ]) and Betätigung ([bəˈtɛːtɪɡʊŋ]) 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 22982, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Bestätigung is recorded at frequency rank #5,150, classified as anoun, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡʊŋ]. Betätigung is at rank #17,832, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈtɛːtɪɡʊŋ].

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 22982, this pair ranks #1,867,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Bestätigung vs Betätigung

Shared letters: begintuä. Private to "Bestätigung": s. Private to "Betätigung": -.

"Bestätigung" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVCC  ·  "Betätigung" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Bestätigung" and "Betätigung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈʃtɛːtɪɡʊŋ] versus [bəˈtɛːtɪɡʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Bestätigung" or "Betätigung"?
"Bestätigung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,150 in our German list, against #17,832 for "Betätigung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Bestätigung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Betätigung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,867,245 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Bestätigung" and "Betätigung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Befähigung vs Betätigung". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,867,245 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