bestechenvsBestechungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: bestechen is a verb, Bestechung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“bestechen” is a verb and “Bestechung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,471
“bestechen” frequency rank
#20,861
“Bestechung” frequency rank
46332
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bestechen Bestechung
Definition eine Gabe an eine Amtsperson überlassen, um diese zur Verletzung ihrer Amtspflicht zu bewegen Vorteilsgewährung an Amtsträger mit zu erwartender Gegenleistung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bestechen and Bestechung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
bestechen
10 ch
Bestechung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bestechen is [bəˈʃtɛçn̩] while Bestechung is [bəˈʃtɛçʊŋ]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46332, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bestechen is recorded at frequency rank #25,471, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛçn̩]. Bestechung is at rank #20,861, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈʃtɛçʊŋ].

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 46332, this pair ranks #1,322,710 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bestechen vs Bestechung

Shared letters: bcehnst. Private to "bestechen": -. Private to "Bestechung": gu.

"bestechen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "Bestechung" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bestechenbbestechen · besetchen · besstechen · bestcehen · bestecchen · bestecehn · bestechenn · bestechhen
  • Bestechungbbestechung · besetchung · besstechung · bestcehung · bestecchung · bestechhung · bestechnug · bestechugn

Frequency comparison

bestechen#25,471
Bestechung#20,861

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bestechen" and "Bestechung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bestechen" is a verb and "Bestechung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "bestechen" or "Bestechung"?
"Bestechung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,861 in our German list, against #25,471 for "bestechen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bestechen vs Bestechung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “bestechen”; for a noun, it's “Bestechung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bestechen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list