Which to use
“betätigen” is a verb and “Betätigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,157
- “betätigen” frequency rank
- #17,832
- “Betätigung” frequency rank
- 36989
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | betätigen | Betätigung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas benutzen, um etwas in Gang zu setzen | Beschäftigung/Befassung mit einer bestimmten Aufgabe |
Where the eye mixes betätigen and Betätigung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. betätigen runs 9 letters (CVCVCVCVC) against Betätigung's 10 (CVCVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between betätigen and Betätigung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: betätigen is [bəˈtɛːtɪɡn̩] while Betätigung is [bəˈtɛːtɪɡʊŋ]. 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 36989, 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]. 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 36989, this pair ranks #1,601,628 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of betätigen vs Betätigung
Shared letters: begintä. Private to "betätigen": -. Private to "Betätigung": u.
"betätigen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC · "Betätigung" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "betätigen" and "Betätigung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "betätigen" or "Betätigung" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "betätigen" and "Betätigung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "betätigen" 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 #1,601,628 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "betätigen" and "Betätigung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "befähigen vs betätigen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,601,628 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.