BettelnvsBettesWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#13,323
“Betteln” frequency rank
#41,076
“Bettes” frequency rank
54399
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Betteln Bettes
Definition der Akt der Bettelei, also des inständigen Bittens um etwas (beispielsweise Geld, Essen) Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Bett

Where the eye mixes Betteln and Bettes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Betteln
6 ch
Bettes

Visual trap between Betteln and Bettes

A purely visual mix-up. Betteln ([ˈbɛtl̩n]) and Bettes ([ˈbɛtəs]) 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 54399, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Betteln is recorded at frequency rank #13,323, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɛtl̩n]. Bettes is at rank #41,076, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɛtəs].

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 54399, this pair ranks #1,020,455 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Betteln vs Bettes

Shared letters: bet. Private to "Betteln": ln. Private to "Bettes": s.

"Betteln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Bettes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bettelnbbetteln · beteln · betetln · bettelln · bettelnn · bettenl · bettlen · bteteln
  • Bettesbbettes · betes · betets · bettess · bettse · btetes · ebttes

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Betteln" and "Bettes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbɛtl̩n] versus [ˈbɛtəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Betteln" or "Bettes"?
"Betteln" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,323 in our German list, against #41,076 for "Bettes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Betteln" and "Bettes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Betteln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Bettes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,020,455 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Betteln" and "Bettes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bettelt vs Bettes". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,020,455 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