Which to use
“zurückbekommen” and “zurückgekommen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,472
- “zurückbekommen” frequency rank
- #22,585
- “zurückgekommen” frequency rank
- 57057
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | zurückbekommen | zurückgekommen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas, das man nicht mehr hatte, wieder erhalten | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs zurückkommen |
Where the eye mixes zurückbekommen and zurückgekommen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. zurückbekommen and zurückgekommen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: zurückbekommen vs zurückgekommen
A purely visual mix-up. zurückbekommen ([t͡suˈʁʏkbəˌkɔmən]) and zurückgekommen ([t͡suˈʁʏkɡəˌkɔmən]) 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 a single letter - b in “zurückbekommen” becomes g in “zurückgekommen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57057, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
zurückbekommen is recorded at frequency rank #34,472, classified as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkbəˌkɔmən]. zurückgekommen is at rank #22,585, tagged as averb, pronounced [t͡suˈʁʏkɡəˌkɔmən].
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 57057, this pair ranks #916,234 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of zurückbekommen vs zurückgekommen
Shared letters: cekmnoruzü. Private to "zurückbekommen": b. Private to "zurückgekommen": g.
"zurückbekommen" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVCCVC · "zurückgekommen" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "zurückbekommen" and "zurückgekommen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "zurückbekommen" or "zurückgekommen" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückbekommen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "zurückgekommen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #916,234 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "zurückbekommen" and "zurückgekommen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "zurückbekommen vs zurückzukommen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #916,234 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.