bænken

Bänken, spelled with an umlaut, is most commonly encountered as a form of the German verb bänken, meaning to bench or to remove a player from a lineup. It is used primarily in sports journalism and team management to describe the act of sitting a player on the bench.

As a verb, bänken is conjugated as follows: ich bänke, du bänkst, er bänkt, wir bänken, ihr bänkt, sie bänken. The action is typically described as a tactical decision or disciplinary measure. Example: Der Trainer bänkt den Stürmer für das heutige Spiel.

In standard German, Bänken is not used as the common plural noun for benches; the correct plural noun for bench is Bänke. The capitalized form Bänken could appear when the word is used as a proper noun or in a specific toponym or surname, though such uses are uncommon and not widely documented in major references.

If encountered as a place name or surname, Bänken would be treated as a proper noun and subject to the usual spelling conventions of Germanic languages. In related languages, cognates include Swedish bänken or Norwegian bænken, both meaning the definite form of "bench," though orthography differs.

See also: Bank (financial institution), Bänke (benches).