to become known
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to become known
To come to the attention of the public or a larger group of people. Often refers to information that was previously secret, private, or unknown.
Erst durch die Recherchen eines Journalisten wurden die wahren Hintergründe des Skandals bekannt.
Only through a journalist's investigations did the true background of the scandal become known.
The verb is made up of the adjective 'bekannt' (known) and the verb 'werden' (to become). It describes the process in which something moves from an unknown state to a known state.
Es darf nicht bekannt werden, dass wir hier waren.
It must not become known that we were here.
Since 'bekanntwerden' (to become known) describes a change of state (from secret to public), the perfect tense is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be).
Die Neuigkeit ist erst gestern Abend bekannt geworden.
The news only became known yesterday evening.
The subject of the verb is typically information that was not previously public. Common subjects are 'Details' (details), 'Pläne' (plans), 'ein Geheimnis' (a secret), 'ein Skandal' (a scandal), or 'die Wahrheit' (the truth).
Nach und nach wurden weitere Details über den Vorfall bekannt.
Little by little, further details about the incident became known.
to publish
'veröffentlichen' and 'bekanntwerden' both have to do with information reaching the public. The important difference is the perspective. With 'veröffentlichen', someone actively makes something public, for example an authority, a newspaper, or a person. With 'bekanntwerden', it is more about the information itself: it comes to the attention of many people, often without anyone having planned it. Learners may confuse the words because the result is similar. Ask yourself: Who is actively making it public? Then 'veröffentlichen' fits. Is the matter simply becoming generally known? Then 'bekanntwerden' fits.
Vor der Reise wurde bekannt, dass der Flug ausfällt.
Before the trip, it became known that the flight was canceled.
Die Behörde veröffentlicht am Abend die neuen Zahlen zur Sicherheit.
The authority will publish the new safety figures in the evening.