Which to use
“betätigen” is a verb and “betätigte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,157
- “betätigen” frequency rank
- #43,060
- “betätigte” frequency rank
- 62217
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | betätigen | betätigte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas benutzen, um etwas in Gang zu setzen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs betätigt |
Where the eye mixes betätigen and betätigte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. betätigen (CVCVCVCVC) and betätigte (CVCVCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: betätigen vs betätigte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: betätigen is [bəˈtɛːtɪɡn̩] while betätigte is [bəˈtɛːtɪçtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62217, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
betätigen is recorded at frequency rank #19,157, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈtɛːtɪɡn̩]. betätigte is at rank #43,060, tagged as anadj, pronounced [bəˈtɛːtɪçtə].
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 62217, this pair ranks #721,008 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of betätigen vs betätigte
Shared letters: begitä. Private to "betätigen": n. Private to "betätigte": -.
"betätigen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC · "betätigte" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "betätigen" and "betätigte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "betätigen" vs "betätigte" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "betätigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "betätigte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #721,008 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "betätigen" and "betätigte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bestätige vs betätigte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #721,008 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.