BettvsBitteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#986
“Bett” frequency rank
#183
“Bitte” frequency rank
1169
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Bett Bitte
Definition ein Möbelstück, in dem man schläft höfliche Ausdrucksform eines Wunsches, einer Aufforderung, eines Ersuchens

Where the eye mixes Bett and Bitte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Bett
5 ch
Bitte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Bett ([bɛt]) and Bitte ([ˈbɪtə]) 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 1169, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Bett is recorded at frequency rank #986, classified as anoun, pronounced [bɛt]. Bitte is at rank #183, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɪtə].

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 1169, this pair ranks #2,004,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Bett vs Bitte

Shared letters: bet. Private to "Bett": -. Private to "Bitte": i.

"Bett" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Bitte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bettbbett · btet · ebtt
  • Bittebbitte · bite · bitet · btite · ibtte

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Bett" and "Bitte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bɛt] versus [ˈbɪtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Bett" or "Bitte"?
"Bitte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #183 in our German list, against #986 for "Bett". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list