bezeichnenvsBezeichnetenConfusable pair

Quick tell: bezeichnen is a verb, Bezeichneten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“bezeichnen” is a verb and “Bezeichneten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,807
“bezeichnen” frequency rank
#9,160
“Bezeichneten” frequency rank
11967
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bezeichnen Bezeichneten
Definition jemandem oder etwas einen Namen geben, jemanden benennen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Bezeichnetes

Where the eye mixes bezeichnen and Bezeichneten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. bezeichnen runs 10 letters (CVCVVCCCVC) against Bezeichneten's 12 (CVCVVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
bezeichnen
12 ch
Bezeichneten

Visual trap between bezeichnen and Bezeichneten

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bezeichnen is [bəˈt͡saɪ̯çnən] while Bezeichneten is [bəˈt͡saɪ̯çnətən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 11967, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bezeichnen is recorded at frequency rank #2,807, classified as averb, pronounced [bəˈt͡saɪ̯çnən]. Bezeichneten is at rank #9,160, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bəˈt͡saɪ̯çnətən].

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 11967, this pair ranks #1,966,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bezeichnen vs Bezeichneten

Shared letters: bcehinz. Private to "bezeichnen": -. Private to "Bezeichneten": t.

"bezeichnen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCCCVC  ·  "Bezeichneten" · 12 letters · shape CVCVVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bezeichnen ← bbezeichnen · beezichnen · bezecihnen · bezeicchnen · bezeichenn · bezeichhnen · bezeichnenn · bezeichnne
  • Bezeichneten ← bbezeichneten · beezichneten · bezecihneten · bezeicchneten · bezeichenten · bezeichhneten · bezeichneetn · bezeichnetenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "bezeichnen" and "Bezeichneten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bezeichnen" is a verb and "Bezeichneten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "bezeichnen" or "Bezeichneten"?
"bezeichnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,807 in our German list, against #9,160 for "Bezeichneten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "bezeichnen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Bezeichneten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,966,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bezeichnen" and "Bezeichneten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "berechneten vs Bezeichneten". 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 #1,966,928 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