bewiesenvsbewirkenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,332
“bewiesen” frequency rank
#7,731
“bewirken” frequency rank
12063
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bewiesen bewirken
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs beweisen eine Wirkung herbeiführen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bewiesen and bewirken apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
bewiesen
8 ch
bewirken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bewiesen ([bəˈviːzn̩]) and bewirken ([bəˈvɪʁkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bewiesen is recorded at frequency rank #4,332, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈviːzn̩]. bewirken is at rank #7,731, tagged as averb, pronounced [bəˈvɪʁkn̩].

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 12063, this pair ranks #1,966,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bewiesen vs bewirken

Shared letters: beinw. Private to "bewiesen": s. Private to "bewirken": kr.

"bewiesen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "bewirken" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bewiesenbbewiesen · beiwesen · bewieesn · bewiesenn · bewiesne · bewiessen · bewiseen · bewwiesen
  • bewirkenbbewirken · beiwrken · bewikren · bewirekn · bewirkenn · bewirkken · bewirkne · bewirrken

Frequency comparison

bewiesen#4,332
bewirken#7,731

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bewiesen" and "bewirken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bəˈviːzn̩] versus [bəˈvɪʁkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bewiesen" or "bewirken"?
"bewiesen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,332 in our German list, against #7,731 for "bewirken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bewiesen vs bewirken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bewiesen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list