Which to use
“bewerben” is a verb and “Bewerbung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,964
- “bewerben” frequency rank
- #5,571
- “Bewerbung” frequency rank
- 10535
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bewerben | Bewerbung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich (um etwas/jemanden) bemühen; (nach etwas) streben; versuchen, jemandes Gunst ( die Gunst einer Geliebten) zu erlangen | Handlung, mit der man sich um etwas bemüht, das man erreichen/haben möchte |
Where the eye mixes bewerben and Bewerbung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. bewerben runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against Bewerbung's 9 (CVCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses bewerben with Bewerbung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bewerben is [bəˈvɛʁbn̩] while Bewerbung is [bəˈvɛʁbʊŋ]. 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 10535, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bewerben is recorded at frequency rank #4,964, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈvɛʁbn̩]. Bewerbung is at rank #5,571, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈvɛʁbʊŋ].
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 10535, this pair ranks #1,974,650 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bewerben vs Bewerbung
Shared letters: benrw. Private to "bewerben": -. Private to "Bewerbung": gu.
"bewerben" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "Bewerbung" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bewerben" and "Bewerbung" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "bewerben" or "Bewerbung" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bewerben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Bewerbung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,974,650 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bewerben" and "Bewerbung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bewerbung vs Bewirtung". 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 #1,974,650 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.