Which to use
“bösen” is an adjective and “Böses” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,364
- “bösen” frequency rank
- #7,886
- “Böses” frequency rank
- 11250
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bösen | Böses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs böse | Inbegriff für alles, was nicht gut respektive ethisch falsch ist |
Where the eye mixes bösen and Böses
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses bösen with Böses
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bösen is [ˈbøːzn̩] while Böses is [ˈbøːzəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “bösen” becomes s in “Böses”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11250, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bösen is recorded at frequency rank #3,364, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbøːzn̩]. Böses is at rank #7,886, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbøːzəs].
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 11250, this pair ranks #1,970,856 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bösen vs Böses
Shared letters: besö. Private to "bösen": n. Private to "Böses": -.
"bösen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Böses" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bösen" for "Böses" ever safe?
Which is more common, "bösen" or "Böses"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bösen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Böses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,970,856 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bösen" and "Böses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bodies vs Böses". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,970,856 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.