besetzen
[bəˈzɛt͡sn̩]
The verdict
“besetzen” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #7,729 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #7,729
- frequency rank, German
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 15
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - einen Ort belegen, einen Platz einnehmen
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | besetzen |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [bəˈzɛt͡sn̩] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #7,729 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “besetzen” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for besetzen is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [bəˈzɛt͡sn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #7,729 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for besetzen, with forms such as "bbesetzen", "beestzen", and "besetezn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "besten", "besetzt", "besitze", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is besetzen, spelled B-E-S-E-T-Z-E-N.
Definition
- 1einen Ort belegen, einen Platz einnehmen
- 2etwas bestücken, etwas mit etwas versehen, etwas auf etwas befestigen
- 3ein Gebiet militärisch unterwerfen
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: bbesetzen,beestzen,besetezn,besetzenn,besetzne,besetzzen,besezten,bessetzen,bestezen,bseetzen,ebsetzen
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of besetzen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "besetzen"?
What does "besetzen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "besetzen"?
How do you pronounce "besetzen"?
What language does "besetzen" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “besetzen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is B-E-S-E-T-Z-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [bəˈzɛt͡sn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “besten” - see the side-by-side comparison. besetzen vs besten
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.