Which to use
“achten” and “achtete” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,378
- “achten” frequency rank
- #43,688
- “achtete” frequency rank
- 46066
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | achten | achtete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf etwas Acht geben, etwas Beachtung schenken | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs achten |
Where the eye mixes achten and achtete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. achten runs 6 letters (VCCCVC) against achtete's 7 (VCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses achten with achtete
A purely visual mix-up. achten ([ˈaxtn̩]) and achtete ([ˈaxtətə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46066, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
achten is recorded at frequency rank #2,378, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaxtn̩]. achtete is at rank #43,688, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaxtətə].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 46066, this pair ranks #1,331,738 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of achten vs achtete
Shared letters: aceht. Private to "achten": n. Private to "achtete": -.
"achten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "achtete" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "achten" and "achtete" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "achten" vs "achtete" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "achten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "achtete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,331,738 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "achten" and "achtete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "achtel vs achtete". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,331,738 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.