achtenvsÄrztenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: achten is a verb, Ärzten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“achten” is a verb and “Ärzten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,378
“achten” frequency rank
#8,494
“Ärzten” frequency rank
10872
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature achten Ärzten
Definition auf etwas Acht geben, etwas Beachtung schenken Dativ Plural des Substantivs Arzt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set achten and Ärzten apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
achten
6 ch
Ärzten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: achten is [ˈaxtn̩] while Ärzten is [ˈɛːɐ̯t͡stn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10872, 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]. Ärzten is at rank #8,494, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛːɐ̯t͡stn̩].

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 10872, this pair ranks #1,972,886 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of achten vs Ärzten

Shared letters: ent. Private to "achten": ach. Private to "Ärzten": rzä.

"achten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC  ·  "Ärzten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • achtenacchten · achetn · achhten · achtenn · achtne · achtten · acthen · ahcten

Frequency comparison

achten#2,378
Ärzten#8,494

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "achten" and "Ärzten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "achten" is a verb and "Ärzten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "achten" or "Ärzten"?
"achten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,378 in our German list, against #8,494 for "Ärzten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering achten vs Ärzten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “achten”; for a noun, it's “Ärzten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “achten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list