Hello,

These two terms are both defined as meaning "called / named" and I was wondering what the difference is?

Is one term used more often than the other for example?

Thanks!

Confused beginner! :)

I think there is not much of a difference. For people I would prefer "genannt" but "bezeichnet" works often too. For things I would use both forms.
I figured out that there is a difference in the way you create the sentence. Probably others can give you more explanations.

Example:
Er wurde auch "der Meister" genannt.
Er wurde auch als "der Meister" bezeichnet.
Dieser Haustyp wird "Doppelhaus" genannt.
Dieser Haustyp wird als "Doppelhaus" bezeichnet.
Diesen Haustyp bezeichnet man als "Doppelhaus".

I would not worry too much about the difference at the moment. The more you listen and read the more you develop a feeling for the language. I learn a lot from listening and reading and the examples that I find. The examples create patterns in my brain that I can use when I speak and write.

Thanks for the explanation Vera. I think as a beginner I'm probably trying to understand everything and that's just not going to be possible!

I'll take it easy and just let the language sink in bit by bit. :)