bestimmen

[bəˈʃtɪmən]

/[bəˈʃtɪmən]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“bestimmen” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,360 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#3,360
frequency rank, German
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - festlegen, zum Beispiel einen Preis, eine Zeitdauer, einen Umfang

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bestimmen vs bestimmt
78% similar
bestimmen vs bestimmte
78% similar
bestimmen vs bestimmten
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bestimmen
PropertyValue
Headwordbestimmen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[bəˈʃtɪmən]
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,360
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bestimmen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bestimmen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for bestimmen is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [bəˈʃtɪmən]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,360 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for bestimmen, with forms such as "bbestimmen", "besitmmen", and "besstimmen". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "bestimmt", "bestimmte", "bestimmten", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is bestimmen, spelled B-E-S-T-I-M-M-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    festlegen, zum Beispiel einen Preis, eine Zeitdauer, einen Umfang
  2. 2
    entscheiden, anordnen, über jemanden oder über etwas Verfügungsgewalt ausüben
  3. 3
    die genaue Art einer Pflanze oder eines Tieres feststellen
  4. 4
    mit wissenschaftlichen Methoden ermitteln oder spezifizieren
  5. 5
    prägen, an dem äußeren Erscheinen wesentlich beteiligt sein
  6. 6
    vorsehen, als Ziel vorgeben oder für eine Aufgabe oder eine Laufbahn auswählen
  7. 7
    jemanden zu etwas veranlassen

This word in other languages

determine(English)determinar(Español)déterminer(Français)determinar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbestimmen,besitmmen,besstimmen,bestimemn,bestimen,bestimmenn,bestimmne,bestmimen,besttimmen,betsimmen,bsetimmen,ebstimmen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bestimmen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbestimmen1besitmmen2besstimmen1bestimemn2bestimen1bestimmenn1bestimmne2bestmimen2
Edit distance from "bestimmen"

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 "bestimmen"?
"bestimmen" is spelled B-E-S-T-I-M-M-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [bəˈʃtɪmən].
What does "bestimmen" mean?
As a verb, "bestimmen" means: festlegen, zum Beispiel einen Preis, eine Zeitdauer, einen Umfang
What words are commonly confused with "bestimmen"?
"bestimmen" is commonly confused with "bestimmt", "bestimmte", "bestimmten". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bestimmen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bestimmen" is [bəˈʃtɪmən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bestimmen" come from?
"bestimmen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “bestimmen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is B-E-S-T-I-M-M-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [bəˈʃtɪmən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bestimmt” - see the side-by-side comparison. bestimmen vs bestimmt
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list